Angels on Atlantis
by The Layman
Summary: When the heat gets to be to much on Earth, the Flock heads for the Peagasus Galaxy! Samll x-over with SG-1. Under new management by Hideout Writer .
1. Chapter 1

I'd like to point out now that I do not own either Maximum Ride or Stargate Atlantis.  
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I swear, if this doesn't let up soon I think I'm going to curl up into a ball and just stay there until I die of old age or hunger, whichever comes first. Probably hunger.

I know, that sounds a little extreme, but how would you feel if you could never get a moments peace because you were getting attacked, left and right, completely out of the blue? Seriously, we hadn't even been on our own for two weeks when we, (that's me and the Flock for those of you who don't know), started getting attacked for no good reason.

It had only bothered us a little at first, then it just got down-right freakin' annoying. I mean, we could pretty much take down any normal human no problem, but that's normally when we're each fighting one on one. When you start to get into even the higher single digit numbers, it starts to get a little hard.

Hi, I'm Max, and my six friends, (one's a talking dog), are mutant bird (dog) freaks.

For the most part we're all human (and canine-American, don't ask), but some supreme wackoes thought it would be a good idea to splice avian DNA, or "bird-genes" if you prefer, onto human embryos, (We still don't exactly know what happened to Total), thereby giving us wings and other assorted bird-like abilities. We also have these other powers that apparently our creators didn't plan on, and they can be pretty cool some times.

But that's not important right now. What is important is the fact that we can't get two minutes rest without some wacko group of gun toting mercenaries or what have you trying to kill or capture us. Finally, after about the up-teen millionth time, I decided to do the one thing that under normal circumstances I swore I would never do in a million years....

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"Guys," I said in that authoritative voice I use when I'm about to make an executive decision. This would either go over great, or they'd never let me hear the end of it, "we need to get some help."

"How so?" the Gasman asked curiosly from the other branch.

I sighed. "I don't think we can keep fending of these yahoos that keep attacking us for much longer on our own. We need some help dealing with this, or we way not even be around to ask for help before long."

"So what do we do, then?" Fang asked. "Who do we ask to help us?" I cringed, fearing what I would have to say next. I decided to just suck it up and get it over with.

"Weeee...we have to ask Jeb for help," I said slowly. Because I couldn't quite believe I said it I said it again. "We need Jeb's help to get rid of all the people that are trying to kill us." What do you know, no bad taste in my mouth. Oh wait, there it is.

"Are you serious?" Fang asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Nudge agreed, "I mean, you're the one always saying how evil Jeb is and how you can't trust him anymore, not like you could before you found out he still worked for the School. Even though he turned out to be good in the end, after Ari died, and he turned out to be your biological father--mmmph!" Thank, thank, thank you Iggy.

"What Motormouth here is trying to say is-"

"Hey!" Nudge shouted indignantly from under his hand.

"-What makes you think we can trust him now?" Iggy pointed out *oh* so tacitly.

"I don't," I said, "but he does have a bunch of contacts in the government who could potentially help us out." Between you and me, that wasn't really thst much of a reason, not for this crowd. I had to think of something better. "I do trust my mom, however," I said, "and she still thinks that Jeb isn't such a bad guy anymore, so I guess that says something about him. Besides, who else really understands us the way he and Dr. Martinez do?"

"We really don't have a choice this time, do we?" Fang asked, letting out a defeated sigh.

"No, we don't," I agreed solemnly.

"So does that mean we're going back to Washington D.C.?" Angel asked in that adorably cute way she always does.

"I guess so," I said absently. Wait a second.... "And no mind control on the leader of the free world again, I mean it," I added forcefully, remembering the last time we were in the White House.

"Okay!" She was so cheery and innocent sometimes it was almost scary.

"This means I get to see Akila again, right?" Total yipped. He just couldn't get enough of that dog.

"Sure, we'll see Akila again as well," I sighed. He almost flew off right then, if Angel were not holding him and Celeste in her arms. Then, unfurling my wings, I signaled everyone else to do the same. "Ok, guys, it's Washington D.C. or bust!" I shouted as we soared off.

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The trip to D.C. wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We got shot at a few times, but we were able to lose the jerks that did just as easily.

Eventually we arrived at the Capitol and found Jeb and Dr. Martinez at their house in the city. Ella was there as well, so lots and lots of hugs were exchanged. Total even got to spend some time with Akila.

I layed our situation out for Jeb, reminding him in no small words that it was an absolute last resort plan. After a little cajoling from Mom, he agreed to do what he could. A day later we were riding in a private jet of to Colorado Springs, Colorado. Why we were going there I couldn't imagine.

When we got off the plane we were hurried into government cars and given the whole "For your eyes only!" speech. Please, if there is anyone else on this earth that's better at keeping secrets than us, I dare you to come forward. Eventually we arrived at what looked like the base of a mountain. Great, a tourist attraction, I thought.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

We got out of the cars and were ushered inside an elevator. A military grunt inside pushed a button and the elevator started going down.

Waaaaay down. I mean, we were going so far down, I thought we were going to come out the other side of the earth.

'This is bad,' I thought, 'this is really, really bad.' I was on the verge of hyperventilating, thinking that we'd be trapped down here forever, when The Voice chose to rear it's ugly head, figuratively speaking.

_Calm down, Maximum,_ it said forcefully. _This is one of the governments most top secret facilities, you couldn't be any safer here if you were dead._

'Thanks for the comforting image' I replied sarcastically. Why did it have to say "dead"? And how did it know that anyway? Oh well...just another thing to add to the list of mysterious things about The Voice. And let me tell you, it was getting to be a really long list.

_Don't worry, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel,_ it said cryptically.

Yeah, like that helps.

When the doors on the elevator finally opened we practically popped out like sardines out of a jack-in-the-box. Once we picked ourselves up we were lead to a rather spartan looking confrance room, the classic plate of donuts in the center of the table. Needless to say the entire plate was gone in about three seconds.

About a minute later a general walked into the room. He introduced himself as Hank Landry. He asked us about our situation, saying that he had been a little preoccupied as of late and was not quite up to speed on what was happening in the world as he would like. When we finished telling him our story, (with many interruptions from Nudge, Gazzy and Angel, and even Total, feeling the need to elaborate his part in our adventures), he decided to drop the bomb on us. We were going to go to another world.

You heard me, another WORLD! Like, not Earth.

Apparently, they had a device called a "stargate", that created a wormhole or something like that, that could transport us to one of any thousands, maybe even millions of planets. I almost didn't believe it untill the window behind us opened up and we could see it.

In the middle of the room was a big ring that stood upright. It had about 39 symbols or something around the rim that kind of looked like constellations. It looked very alien, if you believe in that kind of stuff.

I almost jumped when I saw it activate for the first time. Out of nowhere the ring in the middle started turning. It turned for a while and the it stopped at one of symbols and one of the lights around it would light up. It did that about seven times. At the end of the seventh time, it was like there was this big explosion coming at us out of the center of the ring. It was like being underwater, watching someone do a cannonball. Only instead of being next to them when they did it, you were underneath. When it retracted, it was like watching that same event backwards.

I don't know if it was actually made of water, but when the whatever-it-was settled down, about four or five soldiers, (space-marines just sounds to cliche, don't you think?), suddenly came through out of nowhere.

"Did they...just...where did they come from?" I stammered. "They weren't, like, hiding behind the platfrom before that thing in there turn on or anything like that, right?"

"Nope," the general said. "Those men haven't been on this base in just over a week. They were...Walter, where did SG-6 go again?" He turned to a small, balding man wearing glasses who had just walked into the room.

"P7X-986, sir," he said in a voice that sounded like someone who had always been the bearer of bad news, and had taken its toll, "that planet that was on the edge about siding with the Ori. They're waiting to be debriefed as soon as possible."

"I'm afraid you kids will have to excuse me," he said, turning back to us, "I need to deal with this right away."

He turned to leave when Nudge said, "Wait!"

"What is it, sweetheart?" he asked.

"You didn't say where we were going yet."

Come to think of it, she was right. We'd been sitting here for over an hour, (most of that was due to our recounting our adventures for the General), and no one had told us which world we were going to.

"Good question," I said, "which one of these 'worlds' are we going to, anyway?"

"Well I guess you'll find out sooner or later," General Landry said. "You're all going to the Pegasus Galaxy, to the city of Atlantis."  
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_Author's Note; I know it says in the description that there will be SGA, but they have to get there somehow, and I didn't feel cruel enough to make them suffer a ride inside of a cramped Puddlejumper right off the bat. Next chapter coming..._

_Anyways, I promise there will be some SGA in the next chapter. As usual, the more you review this, the faster it will get written._


	2. Chapter 2

"Thanks for coming, John," Elizabeth said as Colonel Sheppard walked into her office, rubbing a bruise on his temples. "What happened?" she asked, gesturing to his head. "Fall down some stairs?"

"Nothing so dignified," he said, "I lost twenty bucks."

"So you lost twenty dollars because you have a headache?" she asked quizzically.

"No, I lost the money because Ronon hit me on the head," he explained. "I bet Rodney twenty bucks that I could dodge Ronon's attacks for two minutes." Elizabeth could tell by the silence that followed just who had won the bet.

"How long did it last?" she asked, trying (and failing ) not to let a smile creep onto her lips.

"Fifteen seconds." He was staring at the floor. "So," he said, meeting her gaze again, "what did you want?"

"I just got an interesting communique from Stargate Command."

"Oh?"

"Oh indeed, apparently we're going to be entertaining some house guests for a while."

"House guests?" She nodded.

"Six civilian kids," she paused, reading the the report on her tablet, "and their dog will be staying on Atlantis for an indefinite amount of time." John just stared at her, flabbergasted.

"First of all," he began, "when did we start allowing kids, not to mention their pets, come to Atlantis like it's some sort of field-trip hot spot? And second, why are they coming here at all?" He paused, shaking his head, "Oh, Zalenka's going to love this."

"First of all, John," her voice riddled with authority, "these aren't just any ordinary kids. They've have almost as many people trying to kill or capture them as we've had Wraith come after us. Besides, I'm still in charge of this mission, and I don't have any problem with them coming here." She sat back in her chair with a look on her face that smugly said "Mess. With. Me.".

"So nothing I say is going to make you reconsider?" Sheppard ventured.

"Not unless you can convince General O'Neill that his idea isn't a good one." Sheppard looked stunned, then Elizabeth pointed to a signature at the bottom of the screen. "They're his orders." John sighed.

"Fine, I'll go tell everyone to break out their chocolate," then he turned and left her office. "But if they shed on my carpet," he shouted back, half kidding, "I'll personally let Ronon use them for punching bags."

Elizabeth chuckled to herself. Shed? No. Molt? Probably.

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For the record, (and you government bigwigs had better be listening), if you put us in a room with needles, beakers, the smell of Windex, and people in white lab coats, there's a pretty good chance that we're going to totally flip out. Just FYI.

I mention this because right now we are being herded into a relatively small room (With no windows mind you. Seriously, would it kill the government to put some skylights in their secret underground bunkers or something?) to have some type of physical examination before we're allowed to step foot through their precious Stargate. The space-marine escorting us (It really is cliche, but nothing else seems appropriate) said that it was standard procedure, but I knew better. For as long as I've know, all anyone has ever wanted to do with us was either kill us for interfering with their conceited, selfish, self-centered, egotistical, money grabbing plans, or try to use us in their conceited, selfish, self-centered, egotistical, money grabbing plans.

In a shining sweep of nepotism, the medical lab we were headed was run by the Generals' own daughter, Dr. Carolyn Lam, M.D. You know, it actually wasn't as bad as I though. Here, not necessarily in order, is what went on between us and the good doctor.

1. Gazzy apparently had a big crush on her, because he kept making googly eyes at her through out the whole ordeal.

2. Fang just stood there.

3. I was surprised that she wasn't throwing herself all over him like a certain other doctor we know.

4. Nudge told her that she loved her $127.95 Prada shoes she was wearing. (Don't ask me how Nudge knew that.)

5. Total just sat there, smiling and wagging his tail as she scratched behind his ears.

6. Iggy was being defensive, asking questions like "Are you going to stick me with that needle?" and Dr. Daddy's Girl acting surprise that a blind kid knew she was holding a needle.

7. Angel had played the shrink, saying something about how the doctor needed to spend more time with her father or something like that.

Eventually we were cleared and were ushered into the big room with the "Stargate" in it. You know, the one we saw from the conference room? Anyways, we'd just walked in there when five new Space Marines stepped out of the 'gate just before it shut down.

Actually, I should say four space-marines, because one of them looked more like the leatherites we saw in New York than the cookie-cutter military we usually see. And judging by the low cut shirt she was wearing she also didn't seem to have a problem with letting her chest show. She was clinging onto the arm of one of the other team members, who also didn't really seem like he should be in the military. He look more like he should be in a lecture hall than combat boots. He also looked annoyed that the woman was hanging on him like that.

You know, for that matter, only two of them actually looked like they were suppose to be here. From the pins on their uniform I could see that they were both Lt. Colonels. Major quelle coinkydink. Anyways, they both looked incredibly sure of themselves, but not to the point of smugness. Well, maybe the guy seemed a little smug, like he was about to make decision on impulse. The military madame looked more collected, like she thought things through more often.

And then there was Mr. Tall, Dark, and Beefy. Holy cow, was he big! Not "round" big, but more like "Mr. T meets Shaq big". Also, he had this weird golden tat on his forhead. As if he didn't already look like he could beat the snot out of twenty guys.

"Daniel," the lady holding his arm said in some type of British accent, "am I imagining things, or do you see six rather scruffy looking children and their pet standing there?" Oh please, we're not that scruffy looking.

"No, I see them too," the proffessor sighed.

"Oh, so you're running a daycare center now!"

"Hey," I said rather indignantly, "we can hear you over here!"

"Yeah, and we're not scruffy looking either." Remind me to give Iggy a dry laugh later.

"What's it to you?" Fang said icily.

"Oh, cheeky," the lady said, giving Fang a look that looked like she was thinking of spending a little "cozy time" with my boyfriend. Then she turned back to the rest of the team she was with, "I suppose you this is the first time you've ever had any children here?"

"Actually," the female Lt. Colonel said, "there's Cassandra."

"And there was Merrin," the proffessor said.

"As well as my son Rya'c," Muscles added.

"And the time Loki made that clone of Col. O'Neill," the other LT.C. added.

"OK, we get it," I said, "we're not the first kids to be here, and we way not be the cleanliest people in the world, but we could probably kick each of your butts into next Tuesday, so there." OK, that might've been a little childish, but it was all true. Ever since we all passed the Basic Survival Skills Training Course in Hawaii, (the BS for short), we'd pretty much proved that in a fair fight, we could stand against even the exhaustively trained, battle hardened United States military.

"It's true," Angel said matter-of-factly.

"Right, and I go home every night and play with all my cute, little teddy bears," Col. Mitchell said incredulously, eyeing Celeste. "Trust me, I know moves that most people couldn't pull off in a million years.

"You mean like this?" Fang asked, suddenly appearing behind him. OK, even I didn't see or hear him move. One minute he's standing with me and the rest of the Flock, the next he was behind an AirForce Lt. Colonel, pinning his arms behind him and dropping him to one knee.

"Alright everyone, break it up," someone said from the doorway. "Sorry I was late," he said as he hurried in, "I got caught behind a couple of lab techs rolling some heavy piece of machinery threw the hallway right in front of the elevator."

The newcomer was a slightly lower rank than the arm-locked jar-head, a captain by the pins on his jacket. He was about six feet tall and had dirty Blonde hair and blue eyes. He had a slight accent in his voice, but I couldn't really tell what it was. Though, it kind of reminded me of Mr Chu. You know, that crazy Asian guy that kidnapped my mom to get the CSM (that's Coalition to Stop the Madness) to stop speaking out against big businesses that were slowly polluting the planet. No? Well, anyways....

"Captain Nathaniel Falcone reporting for duty," he said, giving a crisp military salute. Looked down at Fang and the Colonel and smiled wryly, "Permission to take the charges off yours hands, Sir?"

"By all means, Captain," Col. Mitchell grunted from the floor. He turned his head to look at Fang, "Could you let me up now, kid?"

"Go ahead," I said with a wave of my hand, feining boredom.

"Come on, Cam," the bookworn said, helping him up, "let's go. Landry wanted to debrief us when we got back anyway." He let out a dejected sigh, "Vala, you too."

"All right," she said, looking like she didn't really get what was going on. On her way past Fang she lightly brushed her finger across his chest and winked. "See you later, Handsome," she said with a hint of promiscuity. When she was gone Fang was just standing there, dead still. Well, maybe not completely still, I think his eye was twitching.

Thank whatever gods there are in the universe she wasn't a redhead.

"Well," the Captain said after about a minute of extremely awkwerd silence, "that was interesting to say the least."

"You could say that again," Gazzy breathed, "did you see that giant? He must have been at least seven feet tall! And what was with that weird thing on his head? Did he get burned there or something? and how about that-nnffff!" Whoa, normally it's Nudge that runs her mouth off most of the time, but Gazzy really let loose this time. (And no, I don't mean one of his "unfortunate occurrences".) I probably would have decked him myself if Iggy hadn't stopped him.

"I'll tall you about it later. Meanwhile, why don't we introduce oursleves? I'm Captain Nathaniel Falcone, but you can just call me Nate."

"Pleasure to meet you, Nate," Total said from the floor. "You may call me Total."

"I'm The Awesome Karate Fist," The Gasman said, giving one of his "cool" false names he likes to use.

"I'm Precious," Angel said in the cutest possible voice she could muster. Quelle conceited much?

"My name's Caroline Estella Elizabeth Belle, the third," Nudge said, holding up three fingers to illustrate her point.

"Chester," Fang said simply.

"Oscar Mayer, but my friends call me Biff," Iggy said.

And finally the gauntlet was cast to me.

"I'm-" I started to say, trying to think up a false name for myself, when Nate suddenly cut me off.

"You're Max," he said. Then he said, "And you're Fang, Iggy, Nudge, The Gasman (Gazzy for short), and Angel," pointing each of them out in turn.

Crap, how did he know that?

"Don't look so surprised," he said, appearently noticing the stunned expersions on our faces, "I read your file. Besides, Fang calling himself by the lead singer of Linkin Park's name kind of tipped me off."

"Really?" I asked Fang. He shrugged.

"It just came to me," he said sheepishly.

"Well, now that we're all aquainted, why we get you guys to Atlantis, huh?" He started walking to the door, "Come on, the ship is this way."

"Ship," Gazzy said, hope sparkling in his eyes, "you mean as in 'Spaceship'?"

"Yep." Gazzy and Iggy both did a double high-five and then raced after him. Nudge, angel and Total follow suite, not wanting to be left behind.

Fang and I just stared at each other for a moment brofre he said, "One small step for man, right?" and hurried after them. I was only seconds behind him.

"And one giant leap for bird-kid kind."

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"Are you freaking kidding me?!" I said when I saw what the "spaceship" was that we would be flying in.

Picture a truck. Like those orange and white ones with the weird pictures of the side that you see all the time. Now picture that as a large, round tube. Completely airtight.

Yeah, that's what we were riding in.

"Look," Captain Know-it-all said, "I know it's kind of small, but the ride probably wont be more than ten minutes long, trust me."

"I call shotgun!" The Gasman shouted as he ran inside, the rest of the flock at his heels.

"That's not the point," I said after everyone had left. "I don't know if they told about this, but we don't do well in small, enclosed spaces. Hate 'em in fact. Besides," I pointed to the ship, "do you even know how The Gasman got his name?"

"I actually do know that about you," he said, "but if you know another way to survive unaided in hard vacuum in what's basically a galactic no-man's land, then I'm all ears."

I really hate it when people use facts. It really kills any chance I have of whining or ranking my way on people.

"Fine," I said, and slowly made my way into the wonder-ship. A few minutes later the ship was in front of the Stargate, waiting for the go-ahead to go through.

I still didn't feel to sure about going through that thing, but hey, whatever was on the other side of that thing has to be safer than where we are now, right?

Oh, and note to self, come up with repertoire of aliases. Soon.  
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_Author's Note; I'm sorry if the descriptions of SG-1 (and Vala. Mid season 9) paint a slightly less then attractive picture of them, but they are being veiwed through the rose colored window that is called Max. So don't hold that against me, I actually hold SG-1 in very high regard._


	3. reply to fan

This message is mostly for "i" (you know who you are, but if you actually have an account on this site, please use it. It would make the job of replying to you that much easier.)

As to why I'm not updating it, the reason is simple (?I think?), I'm trying to finish up my other active stories so I can devote all of my brain power to this one. Keep wating fo the next month, it shouldn't take me longer than that to get to it.

Also, you can thank the inveritable Mr. Patterson for the writing style. All I'm really doing is emulating what he does. Credit where credit's do.

Finally, and don't take this the wrong way, none of those "cute" things (and others) work on me. (By the way, you misspelled "Nudge". Sorry.) I listen to *^&$% (sorry about that) Metalcore for crying out loud! The "John puppy dog face" is a first for me, though, so here is a cookie and a Fang Chibi plushy! (If you have another favorite, you can exchange said plushy at any number of Fan(g)girl sites and stores nationwide) No offense to you guys, (If you happen to read this), but we get it already! Go back to fawning over Edward (gay) Cullen, then I can bash you without reservation.

Anyways, "i", I apreciate the glowing review. (#6.) Please stay with me (and my anonymous co-author) thoughout this story, and please use you account to review me. Please? I gave you a cookie.


	4. Chapter 3

_OK, so maybe I am going to stick the Flock in a Jumper. Either way, they should be in Atlantis soon. Zalenka, eat your heart out.  
_--------------------------------------------------

OK, I'm going to say this once and for all, because apparently no-one in the entire freaking world has any idea what-so-ever about this.

We, (i.e. myself and the Flock), absolutely hate small, enclosed spaces. Anything smaller than, say, Grand Central Station, and we'll almost immediately go into "panic" mode.

You see, when all of your early memories are of you whimpering in the corner of a steel dog crate, waiting until your next torture session with the most God-forsaken, evil scientists on the face of the earth, not knowing whether or not today was your last day, well....

Now picture yourself in a thirty-five by ten foot long, *airtight* tube, with one girl who could talk Mother Teresa to death, and two pyromaniacs (one of whom has one of the worst digestive tracks in the world) and you find yourself in the third worst hell anyone can ever imagine.

(The first is obvious, the second is an Airplane Stewardess School. Stupid happy perky robots!)

This is where I found myself as we were waiting to go through the Stargate to the Freaking lost city of Atlantis. I sat there thinking that this must all be a dream. I mean, aliens don't really exist, right? People couldn't really travel between different worlds (or galaxies for that matter). This was all just to crazy to be true!

Then again, we were six mutant kids and one mutant dog with wings and freaky mutant powers, who constantly saved the world from evil.

Pfft, so much for that theory.

Anyways, here we were, sitting in a metal tube, waiting impatiently to get on our way to Atlantis. (Apparently the safest place in two, count 'em, two galaxies.)

_Max,_ Angel asked with her mind, _are you doing alright?_

_I'm fine, Sweety,_ I replied. _How about you?_

_Don't worry about me,_ she said, _I think this is neat!_

I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or frightened. For all I knew, that kid could be the devil incarnate, waiting for the operatune moment to knock us all off without any wittnesses.

With golden curls and a Teddybear angel. Yeah right.

_Out of curiosity, what exactly is "neat" about this?_ I asked, trying to take my mind off of all the worry that was building up inside me.

_Oh, you'll find out soon enough,_ she said cryptically.

Wait a second, how does she-

_The people around here are really reckless thinkers, I learned all sorts of cool stuff!_

Seriously, one of these days....

"Jumper 1, you are clear for launch," a voice, (Walter, I think it was), said over the radio.

"Rodger that, Command," Captain Falcone said, flipping various switches, Jumper 1 out."

"Um, this won't hurt, will it?" Iggy asked, unsure of exactly what happening.

Captain Bird-name just chuckled and said, "Here we go!".

With a small jolt of acceleration, softer than I thought something this size would make, we shot through the not water stuff of the big ring with a "Whoosh!"

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Suddenly we were out the other side.

I looked out the big cockpit window in front and saw...Nothing.

Well, not exactly nothing; there was something that looked like a big piece of scaffolding, and there were millions of twinkling light off in the vast distance that is outer space. But other than that....

"Is everyone alright back there?" Captain Nate (Hmm, I like that name the best. "Captain Nate" it is, then) asked.

In the back was as varied a collection of mixed reactions as you could possibly hope for. Here's what every one looked like.

Fang-stoic.

Iggy-flustered.

Nudge-doubled over.

Gazzy-excited.

Angel-distracted.

Total-see previous.

Me, I was awestruck. I've been in some pretty empty spaces before, but space totally raised the bar. To just have stark nothing around you in every direction, it's like...like...

OK, so I guess my muse doesn't work in the far depths of space. That's fine, I'll just think of something later.

"Guys, sit-rep," I called back, snapping back to reality after my little mini epiphany.

"Here!" Angel called, raising her hand.

"That was really cool," Gazzy said, "can we do that again?"

"Seconded," Iggy chimed in, "but only if someone warns me first."

Fang was still sitting in the exact same position as when we left. He gave a little wave to show that he was still awake.

"Does this thing have a bathroom?" Nudge asked queesily.

"If there is one here, I haven't been able to find it yet," Captain Nate explained. "Don't worry, we'll be on the city in a few more minutes. Can you hold on until then?"

Nudge nodded weakly.

"This 'city', as you call it, is dog accessable, right?" Total asked.

This seemed to take Nate back a little.

"I don't think anyone has actually gauged the 'dog readiness' of Atlantis. In fact, at least to my knowledge, you'll be the first official non-humanoid, canine guest to be on the city."

Total beamed at hearing he was being given such a great honor.

"Exactly how long do you mean by 'a few minutes'?" I asked, fervently wondering how much longer we'd have to stay out here with only a thin shell between us and hard vacuum, with the Gasman.

Oh yeah, and how much longer before our air runs out. There was that, too.

"Just another minute or so," Captain Nate replied, pushing a bunch of triangle-like buttons in the middle of the dashboard. "There's a couple little protocols I need to go through first, but that shouldn't take more than a few seconds."

"OK guys," I sighed, turning back to the rest of the Flock, "this is it. If anyone want's out you should probably say so now."

I got nothing but incredulous stares in return.

"I guess we're ready when you are, Captain," I told Nate, extremely disliking the fact that I was, in fact, not fulfilling my "absolute leader" roll I'd taken upon myself.

"Alright, then," he said. "Jumper 1 to Atlantis, would you kindly mind lowering the shield? My charges here aren't exactly too keen on staying out here too much longer."

"Jumper 1, we're receiving your IDC, come on through at your leisure."

Boy, there were real informal here, weren't they?

"Hang on to your seats, guys," Captain Nate called back, and began counting down, "three, two, one."

"Please let us come out the other side in one piece," I prayed to whatever gods I could think of the instant before we shot through the wading pool of space travel.

Please?

* * *

We shot out of the giant puddle into a really large room. Smaller then the endless void we were in seconds before, but still large enough for us not to make our skin crawl. It kind of reminded me of St. Patrick's Cathedral back in New York.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" the Captain asked.

"You can say that again," breathed Nudge, who by now had joined us up in the cockpit area. Come to think of it, all of the Flock was starting to migrate up here.

"And I bet it only gets better, right?" Iggy asked dryly. Oops, forgot he was blind again.

Sorry, Ig.

"Got anything to eat?" Gazzy asked out of the blue. "I'm starving."

"Me too," Angel agreed.

"Come to think of it," Fang said, "I'm starting to feel a little hungy too."

"Alright, I get the picture," Nate said, throwing his hands up defensively. "Let's all head to the mess."

"Yay!" everyone cheered. Including Nudge, even though she still looked a little green around the gills.

We stepped out of the ship (scrawny little puddle-jumper, isn't it?) and headed down to the mess hall, eagerly awaiting our offical first meal in another galaxy.

As we stood in huge cathedral like room we landed in, I began to notice just how alien it really looked. The high ceiling and the stained-glass windows had brought back the memories of that church in New York, but that's where the similarities ended.

For one thing, it looked very angular. Serioiusly, if there were any round edges in here, I couldn't find them.

It also looked strangely natural. It can't explain it, that's just how it looked. Like everything was suppose to look like that. Crystalline. That's the word. It looked like it was made out of metallic crystals.

Or something likt that.

"Captain, got stuck with babysitting duty?" a messy-haired Leiutenant-Colonel said as he came down the stairs at one end of the cathedral room.

Babysitting duty!? Oh, he is so going down.

"Nothing like that," Captain Nate corrected, "we were just heading over to mess to get some food." Then he turned to us. "Guys, this is Lieutenant-Colonel John Sheppard. He's the head of the military here on Atlantis. Colonel, this is Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, The Gasman, Angel, and Total," he said, pointing each of us out in turn.

"You could just call me 'Gazzy' for short," Gazzy said.

"Yeah, I knew that," Colonel Bed-head said, looking like he was trying to appear as if he were actually expecting that.

"It's okay if you didn't read the file," Angel said, "we don't mind." She flashed him one of her signature angelic smiles. You know, the one that promised the coming of an evil more deadly than a thousand of your worst nightmares times ten and then some.

Whoa, pull it together, Max. Don't go reading things into others when they aren't there.

Needless to say, the Colonel just stood there, his eyes the size of dinner plates.

"You might want to read the file, sir," Captain Nate said, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. He looked like he enjoying the Colonel's reaction almost as much as we were.

Wow, I think I'm starting to not hate this guy.

"You know, I think I'll do that." With that the messy haired Colonel turned around and headed off to presumably go read the file about us. I almost felt sorry for him; getting shot down by a bunch of kids.

But then I got over it. I've never had a problem with that before, so I just put it out of mind.

"What just happened?" Iggy asked. "You guys see everything, what did that guys look like?"

As Gazzy explained what had just happened to Iggy, and Nudge was pestering Angel with questions about what was in Colonel Sheppard's head, and Fang just stood there, I decided to get some more answers out of Captain Friendly.

"Is everybody here as friendly as that guy?" I asked him.

"Don't worry," he said, "I don't think anyone here is quite like Colonel Sheppard." I breathed a sigh of relief. I guess that's a good thing. "Though on the other hand, there are people here who are probably a lot worse then him."

If eyes could groan, I think mine just did.

"Are we at the mess yet?" Gazzy asked from the back of the group.  
_____________________________________

_Authro's Note; Hey there, Layman again! What do you think of the story? If you have anything to say about it, then click the review bar at the bottom of page. _

_Secondly, I like to apologize in advance if any of the characters from SGA seem OOC. I confess that I haven't really watched that show in a while, so those people might seem a little... "fuzzy". _

_And D., I also confess that I don't really have a good idea about where the plot is going. I have no crisis. If anyone at all has any idea for a good for a plot, Private Message me from my profile. _

_On a finally note, I probably won't be updating this story as frequently as I'd like. So if you plan on following this, all I can say I hang in there man! I'm also going to try to pay homage to St. Fang of Boredom over the course of said story. (there's nothing in this chapter, but see if you can stop the examples. _

_Oh, and sorry for rambling so much. See you next time and God bless!_


	5. Chapter 4

_Author's Note; To answer your question (from "i"), no. No one in any freaking universe is immune to Angel's mind powers. Also, meet Rodney!  
_________________________________

You got to admit, our lives are really pretty extraordinary. I mean, we have freaking wings for god's sake! And they're not just decorations either; they actually work. Another helpful side effect of having Avian DNA grafted into your genetic make-up is the fact that we're all much stronger then your average military combat instructor. (See Book 5 if you want to find out what happened). And to top it all off, we're pretty dang attractive, if I do say so myself. At least by normal human standards.

On the minus side, we have to take in more calories than a speed eater. Per meal. On top of that, we're all socially lacking. I guess it's because we lived in cages for all of our early life. The fact that the people who raised us we're the exact opposite of ideal, and the fact that we were chased by everything from mutant wolf-men to robots didn't help either. And let me tell you, saving the world is not as glamorous as the movies make it.

So yeah, our lives are just peachy.

Life on the Lost City of Atlantis seems pretty normal compared to us. If normal consists of half of all the people living here being scientists, and other half being soldiers.

Two of my most favorite types of people in the world.

But I digress.

We got to the mess hall and totally went to town on whatever food we could get our hands on. (What do you expect, we only had a relatively small plate of donuts in the last six hours.) "I hear the blue jello is particularly good," Captain Nate had told us when we got there. "You guys got ahead and help yourselves, I'll be back in about twenty minutes or so."

"Where are you going?" Nudge asked.

"I just have to check in with the director here. Again, boring protocol stuff," He said as he turned and walked out of the room.

"He said he needed to check in with the Director," Fang said worriedly, "Do you think Itex has a hand in this?"

"I don't know, Angel?" I said, turning to our resident human-bird lie detector.

"Don't worry, nobody here as anything to do with Itex," she said.

"Thank God," I breathed, "I don't think I could stand going through all that junk again. It was bad enough the first time."

"You said it," agreed Iggy. "Now let's get some grub, I'm starving."

We went over to were the food was and loaded trays as high as they could go (Fang made one for Total) and headed for a table to sit at. Then we jumped on our food like a bunch of starving vultures.

Which, to be perfectly honest, we kind of were.

"Well, it isn't the Ritz, but it's better than nothing," Total said before starting on his own tray.

"Nate was right," Angel said, "this jello really is good!"

"Really? Pass me some." Unfortunately, I'd forgotten to grab some for myself.

"Excuse me," a voice behind us suddenly said. "why do you have all that food?"

I turned around and saw a man (he looked about middle-age) holding a tablet PC, looking rather perturbed about something.

"Um, because we're going to eat it?" Fang said, giving the guy a patronizing eyebrow.

"I know that," the guy said, returning Fang's eyebrow with a 'Do I look stupid to you?' look of his own. "But you do know that only have limited supplies here?"

"No," I said politely. It was true, I really didn't know that.

"We only just got here," Gazzy said.

"Is there something we can help you with?

"Yes," the man said. "It is a well known fact around here that I am an avid lover of blue jello."

"OK," Iggy said, "and..."

"Look, I'm going to make this simple for you," he said. "I've been working all hours for weeks and and the only time in months and it gets gobbled up by-"

"Having a problem, Dr, McKay?" Nate was back. Has it been twenty minutes already?

"Good. Finally someone reasonable," 'Dr. McKay' breathed.

Have I mentioned how I've had very few (if any) good experiences with doctors of any kind?

"Actually, I might not be the best person to have here."

"Why not?" Dr. McKay asked, suiddenly getting worried.

"Because I'm suppose to be watching after these kids while they're here."

Oooh, burn!

"Well isn't that just great!" He said, throwing his hands in the air in an exasperated manner and stomping away.

"McKay!" Captain Nate called after him, picking up one of the jello cups, "I never said I was heartless! Here!" He tossed the cup to the disgruntled scientist, who caught it just as he turned around.

There seemed to be a little more spring in his step after that.

"What was all that about?" Fang asked.

"You mean Rodney McKay? Don't worry, he's harmless. He can a bit arrogant at times, but he's helped save Atlantis more time than you can count."

"He's confusing," Angel said, "I could barely understand anything I got from his mind."

"He's like that," Nate agreed. "Anyways, I've got things squared away with Dr. Weir, they've got rooms ready for you when you want to bed down."

"Um," I said, "who exactly is this 'Dr. Weir' person? What kind of doctor is she?"

"She's actually one of the few people here that don't have a scientific or military background." He paused, thinking. "I think used to help with difficult negotiations between countries."

Oh, that didn't sound to bad.

We finished eating and went to go check out the rooms we would undoubtedly be staying in for the foreseeable future.

They were actually pretty nice as far as alien rooms went. It was rather roomy (a major plus), but just enough not to make us feel caged in. It didn't have that many windows however (a major bummer), so it didn't make my "Top Ten" list of best places to spend the night.

"Not bad," Fang said. "Roomy."

"Except there aren't any windows," I reminded him. "How are we gonna do an Up and Away if we can't even leave the room?"

"There's actually a bunch of other windows and doors all around," Captain Nate said, "though I don't quite know where you'd go. The mainland takes forever to get to, and that's in a Jumper."

"Mainland," I asked, "you mean we're on an island?" I turned and tapped Fang on the chest, "Here that Fang, we're finally on an island in the middle of nowhere."

"I guess you could say that," Nate shrugged, "the city is about as big as an island. Didn't anyone explain that to you guys?" Fang shook his head.

"Nobody told me anything," I said. Then I thought of a certain curly haired, blonde mind reader who might be holding out on us. "Angel, did you know anything about...Angel?"

Sure enough, Fang and I were the only non-Humans left in the room.

"I think we lost someone," Fang said dryly.

"No freaking duh!" I snapped. "Weren't you keeping an eye on them?"

His sorrowful, apologetic look told me that he'd forgotten to do just that.

"I guess I'm still trying to get use to this place," he said.

Great.

"How about you soldier boy?" I snapped at Captain Nate.

"Me neither," he said with kind of a half shrug.

"Captain Foster Nathaniel Falcone," a voice said from his earpiece.

"Here," he said, tapping his earpiece in return.

"Could you come to the control room, please. It seems you've lost track of your charges."

"On my way," he sighed. Then, turning to us (that's me and Fang), he said, "I think I know where the rest of your flock is."

Oh. Joy.

* * *

After we'd gathered the rest the of my over-zealous Flock from the Stargate control room I decided to take them outside and have a little...talk with them.

"What were you guys thinking!" I shouted. "You don't just go running off in an alien city, there could be any number of booby traps or security systems that could be a thousand times worse than what we dealt with on Earth!"

"It's OK, Max," Angel said reassuringly, "we didn't go near anything dangerous."

"And how exactly do you know that?" I asked incredulously.

"People's minds," she said grinning.

I really hated that girl right now.

"Regardless, you all shouldn't have wandered off. Do you want to get thrown out off here?"

They all looked shameful.

"And where did you two go anyways?" I asked, singling the two primary troublemakers out of the group instantly.

"We were trying to find the munitions room...," Iggy said.

"Cause they took all our other stuff back at that mountain place," Gazzy added.

"But when we ask some of the gaurds where it was they just told us no and brought us to their control room."

"I was going to talk with the fish here," Angel explained.

"Nudge?" I aksed hesitantly.

"I was just trying to find a bathroom to fix my hair," Nudge prattled, "'cuz all this moisture in air is totally making my hair go all frizzy, and then I ran into this woman (she was really cool, I liked her), and we were talking, and she told me a lot about the city, although she didn't use any contraction. It was kind of weird, talking to someone who says 'cannot' or 'will not' instead of saying- Mmmmffff!"

I swear, if Fang wasn't my boyfreind, I would have kissed _Iggy_ right then and there.

Speaking of Fang...

"And where were you this whole time?" I said, turning around and glaring daggers at him.

"I was ringht next to you," he said. "Remember?"

"Oh, right." I guess I got kind of carried away.

"I was with Angel the whole time," Total barked. "Honestly, I'd have rather stayed in the Mess."

I was about to glare at him when I heard the door slide open behind me.

"Are you guys alright out there?" Captain Nate called from the doorway. "I just got a call from Dr. Weir saying she wants to see you."

"What now, 'Fearless Leader'?" Fang asked, apparently waiting for me to give one of those executive orders I'm known so well for giving.

"Tell Dr. Weir we'll be there soon," I said, drawing mixed reactions for the Flock. I half turned to them and said, "Right now, I think we all need to stretch our wings a little."

Almost immediately the Flock did an Up and Away. Fang hung back, but a nod from my head towards the slowly shrinking Flock told him to make sure they did get to far again.

"Wait," Captain Nate said, his voice thick with urgency, "there's something you should-"

"It'll half to wait," I said as unfolded my wings. In less than a minute I was in the air, zooming towards six dark spots that were hovering against a uber clear, cloudless sky. Like migrating birds, bound for the greener fields and placid lakes of northern spring time.

Hey, what do know, my muse does work here.

* * *

_Author's Note; I have a convenient excuse! I can explain why the way I'm writing the SGA characters doesn't line up picture perfect with the way they are on the show! You ready?_

_Because this is the way the Flock (or at least Max) sees them!_

_Pathetic, I know, but it does make sense, right?_

_Right? *sweatdrops* _

_(Did you find my homage to Saint? I'll give the answer in the next chapter.)_


	6. Chapter 5

If you think you know what empty is, think again.

Seriously, when the only thing around you in any direction is just space, so much so that you can't even see anything on the horizon, that's empty.

What's cool about that kind of empty is that you can do practically anything you can think of in it.

Trust me, it's even better with wings.

We'd needed this for a long time, so it felt great to just spread our wings and just soar aimlessly. After being couped up underground (FYI, worst place to build a secret base ever!) for twenty-four hours, then stuck inside a thirty foot long metal tube, with the GASMAN, flying just felt so right.

"Good call, Max," Fang called from my right, "I think we all needed this."

I nodded back at him and did a double loop-d-loop. Sort of a backhanded way of saying I agreed.

"This ocean must go on for miles," Gazzy said, "it's like you can see over the curve of the Earth."

"Yeah, except we're not on Earth anymore, doofbag," Iggy said.

As Gazzy and Iggy argued about whether the term "earth" applied to the planet we were on, Fang pulled me aside.

"What is it?"

"How do you like it here so far?" he asked.

"You mean how do I like the whole island thing." I corrected.

He shrugged.

"I guess."

"Well, there's a lot more people here then I thought there was going to be, but I'm starting to miss my mom and Ella. You know, the rest of my family."

"Even Jeb?" Fang asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, even him." Fang shot me an incredulous look. "Hey," I said, flashing a goofy smile, "I need something to take out all my built up stress on."

I'm not sure, but I think he smirked just then.

"Hey Max!" Total barked.

I groaned, fearing he would go into another one of his rant against discrimination of canines or a ridiculous five-star critique of the food we had to eat here.

"Yes?" I exasperated.

"You know how Captain Falcone said that there was mainland way out there? Well, I was wondering, that is..."

"Total wants to know if there are any dogs there," Angel said, finishing Total's thought.

"Exactly."

"And we could go to the beach!" Nudge squeed. "Oh beaches are soooooo fun! The sand, and the water, and the seashells..." For once, Nudge drifted off into silence.

Call the media.

"Nudge is right, beaches are fun," Gazzy concurred.

"Why not?" Fang shrugged. "It's not like we're going anywhere soon."

"PLEEEEEEEASE!?!" Iggy said, doing his best to comply Nudge's patented whiny plea and Angel's pattened Bambi eyes.

His milky, grey pupils somewhat dulled the effect. That, and the fact that he was trying to copy Nudge's voice.

"Nice try, Ig," I said, "but no cigar."

"PLEEEEEEEASE, MAX!?!" The Gasman echoed, doing a perfect imitation of Nudge's voice.

As if one "Nudge Channel" wasn't bad enough.

"Wow, that was pretty good!" Iggy congratulated. Gazzy beamed.

"Thanks," Gazzy said, still using Nudge's voice, "I've, like, been practicing. You know?"

God, there were so many things I wanted to do to that boy right now; he was being so annoying. And not the way Nudge does (most of the time she doesn't realize she's doing it), but on purpose. Now, which option to choose. Killing? Nah, way to unoriginal. Poisoning? No, Gazzy's already 35% toxic, so that was out. Making out with Fang in front of him?

Oh yeah, I liked that one alot.

Before I could implement my brilliant plan, I heard a voice calling our names. Only it sounded kind of static-y, and it sounded like it was coming from Iggy.

"Iggy..." I warned, flying closer to him.

"Yeah, uh," he stammered, "I kind of, 'borrowed' one of their radios."

"Really?" I asked incredulously, motioning for him to 'give it'. "I thought we were past all this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a walkie-talkie with some wire wrapped around it.

"You put that in your ear," he said, pointing to something small and black at one end of the wire. "It's voice activated."

Convenient, I thought as I unwound the wire and slipped the earpiece on my ear.

"Hello?"

"Max?" Captain Nate's voice sounded in my ear. "Where did you guys go? You completely vanished from the sensors, we had to send out a Jumper just to get you guys back in sight." I looked around, but couldn't see anything that looked like the ship we came in. I did notice that the city was now just a tiny spot in the distance. Wow, we really had gone far, hadn't we?

"Oh, sorry, forgot I turned the cloak on. Hang on a second."

Cloak?

"Max," Iggy suddenly said, "look behind you!"

I turned around to see what Iggy was talking about, then suddenly felt very sheepish.

Way to go, Max. You fell for the old "Blind kid calling wolf" trick. I glared at said blind kid.

"Max," Angel said before I could yell at the blind prankster, "you're gonna miss it."

"Miss what!?" I yelled, turning around again. When I did I...

Well, let's just say I should really keep my foot away from my mouth.

There was a shimmering distortion about twenty meters away that quickly faded into a visible image.

It was the flying sewer pipe, with the intrepid Captain Nate at the helm. He wave/saluted us and began to turn the Jumper around.

"If you guys'll come in through the back hatch..."

"There's nothing...combustible in there, right?" I asked.

"Don't worry, this one's empty," Captain Nate reasured me. "But just to be on the safe side I'll leave the door open, OK?"

Boy, this guys knew us better than we knew ourselves.

We all clambered into the sewer pipe and plopped down on the seats, letting out a sigh of relief. You would to if you were hovering in place for a while, right?

As soon as the shock of seeing a big, metal pipe materialize out of thin air, we all turned to Iggy.

"How did you do that?" I asked, amazed.

"Do what?"

"Know where the ship was," Gazzy clarified. "That was so cool, how'd you do it?"

"I just saw it. I mean, it looked like a camera negative, but it was as plain as day."

"Iggy has a new power, Iggy has a new power!" Nudge sang.

"Sweet," Gazzy said as he gave Iggy a high-five.

"Seems like it would be useful," Total said.

"Does it work on Fang?" Angel asked.

"Yeah, go invisible," Nudge chimed in.

Fang shrugged, and a second later he had disappeared.

"Whenever you're ready, Dark One," Iggy said impatiently.

"Dude, I already am."

"It's true, Ig," I said, "All of our eyes work normal, but we can't see him."

"I guess you can't see everything invisible," Fang said as he reapeared.

"But, then, how could he see the ship?" Nudge asked, confused.

Some theories were bounced around as to exactly how Iggy's new power worked, all ranging from plausible sounding to just plain absurd. I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say we still weren't any closer to understanding it.

And thankfully, Gazzy had yet to have one of his "unfortunate incidents".

...

What?

* * *

When we got back to the city we all headed to our rooms to get some shut eye. Seriously, we've been up for almost twenty-four hours, so we really needed the rest. Besides, it was getting dark anyways.

As I walked around my room I began to scrutinize it, looking for every possible exit route. Just in case.

I was interrupted from my analysis by the muted ding-dong of the doorbell (cool, huh?). I slid my hand over the door control (seriously, Gazzy and Iggy will have a feild day with this place) and found Fang standing there, leaning on the door frame.

"Mind if I come in?" he said.

"Of course I mind," I said, smiling coyly, "but you may come in anyways."

"Thanks." As he stepped into the room his eyes went over every square inch of it. "Kinda homey."

"I guess it is, in a 'nice hotel' kind of way. Did you want something?

"Yeah," he said, "I did." Oh god, did his eyes have to be so dreamy?

They made me feel like doing anything.

"What exactly?"

"Well," he started, "I've been thinking..."

"Did it hurt?" Doh! I didn't want to do that. Bad Max, bad!

Fortunately, Fang just smiled and shrugged it off.

Phew!

"I've been thinking about us," he continued, "about our relationship."

Uh oh, this might be messy.

"I've been thinking about marriage."

Whoa, I did not see that coming.

For a moment I just stood there, too stunned to say or do anything. Marriage? Was he serious? I mean, I'd always secretly fantasized about it ever since he and I became an item (If you tell anyone about that, I'll kill you), and Angel even told me that she thought we were good together on numerous occasions, but I'd never thought it would actually be an option. And especially not this soon. So, I did the only practical, logical thing I could think of.

I totally cracked up. Tears and everything.

I mean, marriage? Fang couldn't be serious. My suspisions were at least partially confirmed when I looked over and saw him doubled over.

"OK, I'm sorry, I probably should have said it like that," he apologized.

"Ya think?" I said, taking in a lungful of air.

He grunted his agreement.

"I actually wanted to know if you wanted to hang out for a while. You know, since we haven't really had much time for each other the past month."

"Do you even have to ask?" I said excitedly. Then a thought occured to me, "But what if someone needed to find us? We are sneaking out, I assume?"

"We are," he said reasuringly, "and I took the liberty of borrowing one of their radios. Captain Nate said it would save them the trouble of tracking us down again if he just gave us one right off."

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why Fang is my right wing.

* * *

EXTRA!

Captain Nate; Hi there Fang, what's up?

Fang; I was on my way to Max's room.

CN; Why? *scrutinizing*

Fang; We're dating now; I'm gonna spend some time together.

CN; Sounds nice, just be sure to keep it under K+.

Fang; Huh? *question marls*

CN; Never mind. Here, have a radio.

Fang; You're giving me military hardware?

CN; Yeah, I figure it's easier than running around everywhere looking for you guys.

Fang; Hmm, makes sense.

CN; Just keep it clean!

Fang; ????

* * *

_Layman here, apologizing for taking so long with this next chapter. (Sorry!) I've just been really inspired for another story I was working on, but I've since brought that one to close. Unfortunately, because of the holidays approaching, This story will be put on an indefinite Hiatus. You'll still see stuff published under the Layman name. but you'll have to wait untill after New Years at least to hear more about the Flocks' adventures abroad._

_I will still check my account regularly, so feel free to ask me questions or offer helpful criticism. (PS, if my spelling or grammar seems to miss the bar, I KNOW! I'm working on it.) Just click the little green rectangle below the text here. Seriously, you can't miss it, it's right there. Click it already, will you!_


	7. Chapter 6

_Hey y'all, Layman here! Sorry about the hiatus, but I had a bunch of non-MR realted ideas I wanted to follow up on. Beside, the holidays can really wreck havoc on a writers' timetable. Please enjoy this next chapter, in which the story really begins to kick into gear._

* * *

Out on one of the many balconies here on the fine city of Atlantis, Fang and I were staring out at ocean, watching the sunset. We'd finally gotten a moment to ourselves, and the sun had been nice enough to dip below the horizon in a beautiful pastel display of reds and oranges layed out on a placid sea of deep azure, stretching out in every direction towards infinity.

Poetry, by Max.

But seriously, it was a pretty cool scene.

And it just belonged to Me and Fang.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" I said, looking out at the picturesque view.

"Yeah," Fang said absently. I couldn't tell wether he was talking about the sunset or something else.

Or someone else.

"You're not talking about the sunset," I asked, eyeing him coyly, "are you?"

"Huh, can't pull the wool over your eyes, can I?" he shrugged, turning to look at me with those deep, soulful, penetrating, ebony eyes.

Not to self; Tell Ella to lay off the freaking chick flicks when we get back.

"Could you ever?" I shot back. He chuckled in agreement, but I could tell he was just playing along. "You were right, you know."

"What about?"

"Living on a desert island," I said, staring out past the sun, "I think I could get use to seeing that every night. Just the two of us."

"Just us, no one else?" Fang asked.

"Well, I'd bring the Flock, of course," I said, a pondering look crossing my face, "and my mom and Ella, no question about that. I might even let Jeb visit every other decade or so." I looked back at him, "How about you?"

"I'd probably bring Brigid with me," he said non-chalantly.

"WHAT!?!" I exclaimed. For those of you who don't know, Fang has a bit of a Red-head fetish, (first the Red Headed Wonder in Virginia, and more recently Dr. Stupendous). It always made me go into conniptions whenever I thought about it, and Fang knew it.

"Yeah," he went on, " she'd probably love to spend sometime alone on an island with me." Oh, I swear, sometimes he could just be so...so...

Fortunately, I can be "so" too.

"If you want to be all 'lovey-dovey' with her," I said offhandedly, "then I guess you won't miss this." I maneuvered my hand around the back of his head and leaned forward into a kiss.

A deep kiss.

Right on his lips.

Just to recap; a beautiful sunset, a handsome boyfriend, and a totally amazing make-out session with said boyfriend. If there was a Patron Saint of Recombinant DNA Bird Children, I'd be prostrating my undying thanks to him (or her) right now.

When I finally pulled away I felt flushed; I was breathing hard and my cheeks felt warm. Fang, on the other hand, still looked the same as ever, albeit slightly confused.

Dang, how did he keep his face so...emotionless? I'd have to ask him to teach me how to do that one of these days.

"I don't think I heard you clearly," he said with mock sincerity, "could you say that again?" Sly dog.

Smiling, I happily obliged.

Just as I was about to enter the closest thing to heaven on earth, the radio burst to life.

"Max, Fang, where are you guys?" It was Iggy. Man, did that kid know how to ruin a moment.

'Stupid piece of retarded crap,' I muttered as I reached for the radio on the other side of Fang. I clicked the button on the side and sighed before saying, "What is it, Ig", not bothering to hide the annoyance in my voice.

"You were making out with Fang just now, weren't you?" he said, sounding extremely smug. I could so totally hear the Cheshire Cat grin in his voice on the other end.

"Did you call just get under our skin or did you actually need something?"

"Nudge, be quiet! Sorry 'bout that. Anyways, we were just wondering if you guys wanted to-excuse me. NO! I don't want to know why Robert Pattinson is the hotest guy on planet; go bother Angel about that."

"Nudge?" Fang asked.

"Sorry about that," Iggy came back, "Couldn't turn off the Nudge Channel."

"Nudge," I said, and Fang nodded understandingly.

"Is that Max?" I heard Angel say. "Can I tell her? I want to tell her!" I heard Iggy groan, then I heard Angel's voice again. "We're going on a picnic, Max!" she said cheerfully.

"We are?" I asked flatly. When did we decide this?

"Yeah, tomorrow. Dr. Wier said we could ride on one of the Jumper things next time it went to the mainland. And guess what, the next one is going over tomorrow morning!"

"You didn't use your mind control thing on her, did you?"

"Nope. In fact, she suggested it to us."

"She said something about one of the scientists here wouldn't stop asking her to 'Rremove zese little terrors beforre I am forced to kill zem'," Gazzy said, doing a perfect imitation of the Czech scientist we met earlier.

"When do we leave? I asked, letting loose one of my famous sighs.

"Early tomorrow morning. Like, right after sunrise," Angel explained.

"Don't be late!" Nudge chimed in in her usual cheerful manner.

And with that, the radio went silent.

"So are we actually gonna go?" Fang asked suddenly.

"What?" I said, my mind not quite fully charged.

"The picnic, are we going along with it?"

I sighed again.

"I don't see why not, it's not like we have anywhere else to go, anyways. Besides, this place, (as cool as it is), still feels a bit like the School, regardless of what they do here."

"I guess you have a point there," Fang agreed. Then his expression changed, becoming so uber sensitive and deep that I don't think even Srgt. Khaki from Hawaii could resist him. "Now, where were we?"

* * *

_Layman here, sorry about making this chapter shorter then the others. The first chapter update in over a month and it's half the length of the others. But I have a good excuse for it! Ok, maybe I don't. I couldn't really move the story forward the way it was, so I took the next little bit after this and moved it to an entirely different doc. But hey, FAXness! If you're lucky, there might be some more later down the road. I also will not be updating this story as frequently because I am in the middle of another one I I really like writing it. But if anyone wants to help me with this one (I still need a crisis) then drop a line, I'll be listening. Till next time, God Bless, and Happy 2010!_


	8. Chapter 7

_Hey everyone, Layman here. For those of you who don't know, I've handed the reigns of this story over to Hideout Writer. So I don't want you people flaming me about how you don't like the new style, or __**Hideout **__for not doing it in my style. I've given Hideout Writer full control over the story now, I'm just hosting it. Below is Hideout Wirter's A/N..._

**A/N: The first six chapters belong to the Layman; I'm just kick/re-starting the story. As ever, MR, SGA, and anything else may fing here that looks familiar is not my own. **

**Now that that's over, go read the story. And when you're done, review. There is a line of blue text at the bottom of the page. Click it, leve a review, and I might answer.**

**What are you still waiting for! Get going and read that story!**

(Angel's POV, twenty minutes earlier.)

So Max and Fang were out somewhere, doing things that fanfiction writers call FAXness, and I was following Lieutenant Col. Sheppard to the briefing room. Nudge was with Gazzy and Iggy, mostly 'cause I used my mind control to get them to be willing to have her along. She's a great friend, and I love her like a sister, but she does not know how to shut up... Sheppard was talking about his team, "...Ronon Dex is my specialist. He specializes in killing Wraith, and anything that tries to kill me. Teyla Emmagen is kind of like a mobile ambassador; she makes the deals for Atlantis, but she's a good fighter too. Then there's Rodney McKay; he's smart, brilliant actually, but don't tell him that. He's more than likely the most concieted man I've ever met. We snark at each other, but he's good at what he does.

"I'm just the team leader; I stck my nose where it doens't belong, then depend and Ronon and Teyla to get me out of it. Sometimes, we manage to fry electronics along the way, and McKay fixes it. I also fly the Jumper when we use them on off-world missions, or when I lose a bet and get to haul scientists to the Mainland so they can pick flowers..." he subsided with a grumble. "You know, there's a lot of technology that requires the ATA gene to function. Do you know whether or not you have it?"

"What?"

"The 'Ancient Technology Activation' gene."

"I don't know; how would I find out?"

"We could take you down to the medbay and have Carson test for ATA."

"As in, with a needle? No. Is there something else I could try?"

"Why not see Carson? He's a nice guy; patched me and my team up on multiple occasions. There might be something else you could try...lemme talk to Rodney. Oh! And here we are!Angel, I present to you, the Atlantis Gate Room. This is where the 'gate is. We use it to go off-world and fight the Wraith when they don't fell like coming to us. Over there," he pointed, "we have Wier's office, and the computers that control several of the main systems. We also have the briefing room here-oh, hi Rodney, what's wrong?"

"Two demons and a live radio came into my lab. they were touching a bunch of stuff that needs not to be touched, full time distracting me, and when I told them I needed to take them to the briefing room, one of them set of a stink bomb. Now you tell me what's wrong!" So that's McKay, huh? Looks likeI may need to avoid him, or use my telepathy to keep him relatively happy.

"So," I said, drawing the word out a little, "where's the briefing room?" Without warning, I saw, in my mind, the floor plan of the Atlantis control tower. There was a blinking dot where I was standing, and a room seemed to light up on the plan. "Never mind, I already know."

"You know what?" McKay siad, interrupting the snark pattern that he and McKay were in.

"I just figured out where the briefing room is," I said. "Why, is something wrong?"

"How did you figure it out?" Sheppard asked, suddenly interested.

"I just saw it, in my mind. There was, like, this floor plan that appeared in my mind, and then the briefing room sort of lit up." Sheppard and McKay exchanged a look. "Is something wrong?" I asked again.I hadn't gone into there minds because Max kept telling me not ot unless I felt it was necessary for the continued survival of the Flock.

"No," Sheppard drew it out, "nothing's wrong, but I think you have the ATA gene." There was a mix of curiosity and wonder in his voice.

"Well, I'm going to the briefing room now." I turned, and lightly skipped up the stairs.

_/_/_/_/_/_/

"What was that about?" asked McKay.

"I asked her a little bit ago if she had the ATA gene, and she indicated that she didn't know, so I suggested that we take her down to medbay and have Carson test her for it.

"That was the dumbest thing you could have ever done!" Rodney exploded. "Didn't you read her file? She's a genetic experiment, and she hates laboratories and hospital type situations. She hates them because of her past experience with mad scientists. Don't tell that her I'm a scientist, it'll just make her stay far away from me. Although, you could have told those three that were in my lab earlier."

"She asked if there was any way to confirm if she had the gene without doing the blood tests. I told her I would talk to you about it, but it apears Atlantis has taken it out of my hands."

"Harumph." McKay wasn't impressed with how Sheppard handled it, but had determined to let it go, and see if he could get her down to his lab later.

_/_/_/_/_/_/

I walking into the briefing room and saw that Gazzy, Iggy, and Nudge were all there. There was alos Dr. Wier and Teyla, and there was another guy. I'm guessing he was the 'Ronon' dude that Sheppard was talking about. There was another man there, I had not seen him yet. He looked like he was kind and cared about the people around him very much.

"Hallo," he said. Hmm, Scottish? "You must be Angel, right lass?" I nodded my head in agreement, and found a chair.

"Hello," said Dr. Wier," I don't know if you have met everybody here yet, and we still have two coming in-oh, there they are!" She gestured to LTC. Sheppard and Dr. McKay. "This is Dr. McKay, he is the-"

"I'm Atlantis' handyman. When it's broke, call me, because nobody else seems to know how to do it!"

"He has something of an attitude, but put up with him, help him if you can, and he might warm up to you. Standing next to him is LTC. John Sheppard he is the Ranking military officer; he and I share authority here in the city."

"Hi."

This is Teyla Emmagen; she was the leader of the Athosian people before she chose to stay with us.

"Welcome."

"Ronon Dex is our weapons specialist, and he also specializes in the destruction of Wraith"

[unitellegible grunt]

"And at the end of the table is Carson Beckett. He keeps the people of Atlantis relatively healthy.'

"Hallo."

It is my understanding that there are two more members of your group?" she asked.

I chuckled. "Yes, but they're unavailable. They're probably making out. Everyone in the room grinned a little as I said that. "So what do you want?"

"We want to send you guys to the Mainland with a few of our botanists to get you out of Rodney and Zelenka's hair. You could see the Mainland, have a picnic. I heard form Nate that you don't like confined spaces, right?" I nodded. "The Jumper will be leaving first thing in the morning; as soon as the Jumper leaves the tower, the back door will open so you can fly or ride at your pleasure. Will that be acceptable?"

"Yeah. I guess I'll have to tell Max about it."

"I'll do it," Iggy said matter-of-factly. He tapped his earpiece. "Max, Fang, where are you guys?"

"What is it Ig?" She didn't even bother hiding the annoyance in her voice.

"You were just making out with Fang just now, weren't you?" Iggy asked, smug as anything.

"Did you just call to get under my skin, or do you actually need something?"

"Iggy, I was wonder-Mumumuph!"

"Nudge, be quiet! Sorry 'bout that. Anyways, we were just wondering ("Do you know why Robert Pattinson is the hottest guy on Earth?" Nudge asked.) if you guys wanted to-excuse me. NO! I don't want to know why Robert Pattinson is the hottest guy on planet; go bother Angel about that."

"Humph!" Nudge muttered sulkily.

"Sorry about that, I couldn't turn off the Nudge Channel."

"Is that Max? Can I tell her? I want to tell her!"

"Urgh, tell her," Iggy muttered.

"We're going on a picnic, Max!" I said, refusing to let Iggy darken my mood.

"We are?" came Max's voice.

"Yeah, tomorrow. said we could ride on one of the Jumper things the next time it went to the Mainland. And guess what, the next one is going over tomorrow morning!"

"You didn't use your mind control thing on her, did you?" came the next question.

"Nope. In fact, she suggested it to us."

At this point Gazzy butted in, saying "She said something about one of the scientists here wouldn't stop asking her to 'Rremove zese little terrors beforre I am forced to kill zem'." Gazzy did the last part exactly like Dr. Zelenka said it earlier.

"When do we leave?" Max had given in.

"Early tomorrow morning. Like, right after sunrise."

"So don't be late!" Nudge added.

We stood up to leave, and the slates around the front of the briefing room hissed open. I had never even noticed them close. Probably just as well.

"Would you be willing to accompany me to my lab?" McKay was standing right next to me, and I could tell that he was trying rather hard to be nice to me.

"You know that I don't like labs that much," I said. I was buying some time to read his thoughts so I could determine whether or not to trust him.

"It's not that kind of lab. It has bunch of computers and really high powered fancy stuff that you wouldn't understand if I were to tell you. It also has some stuff that even I don't understand all that much. I was hoping that you might be able to turn some of it on. Sheppard is getting tired of being used to turn everything on just so we can say 'Oh, that's cool but it's really unnecessary, could you please turn it off again?'. I figured you might be able to turn as well, seeing as how Atlantis just gave instructions on where the conference room was."

"You shouldn't refer to Atlantis like she is just an inanimate object!" I said, offended. "She actually talked to me."

"She...did?" McKay was speechless.

"Yup. And I might help you turn some stuff on, but right now, I'm going to get something to eat."

McKay seemed a little happier at that, and said, "Well, I could use a bite to eat myself."

We got to the mess, and I grabbed a tray. Behind me, I heard Rodney talking with someone. From the tone of his voice, I guessed that it was his love intrest. A casual flick of my mind proved it. After piling up my tray with food, I went over to the table that McKay was sitting at.

The person that he was talking to stood up, saying, "I need to go; a collection of plants came in that need cataloging." She left.

After dinner, I followed McKay to his lab. "My laboratory is in another section of the city, so we use these teleporter thingies," he explained, stopping before what looked like an elevator. I wondered if Atlantis knew where Dr. McKay and I were going? Abruptly, a panel in the back closed, and the door closed. McKay seemed a little worried for a moment, then saw my face. Atlantis had told me she would take care of it. The door opened before McKay could one of the access panels off. "Hey, this is right outside my lab!" he exclaimed. "I never saw this before."

"It might be one of the special little things Atlantis has for those with the ATA gene," I said, hoping that he would forget it.

"Maybe... Well, come on, let's see if we can figure out what some of this junk does."

**A/N: Hideout Writer here, I know that my writing style is a bit different than that of The Layman, but that's the nature of the beast. Review, it's not that hard, leave a comment, and when I prepare the next chapter, I may answer readers down here!**

_The Layman here, one last time. The only part of this chapter of mine is the dialogue of the Flock telling Max about the trip. Anything else (and everything else from now on) belongs to Hideout Writer. _


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: **

**Hideout Writer: "Sunday, August 8th was my brother's birthday. To celebrate, I'm posting an extra large chapter. Also, I have Angel here for the disclaimer. Angel?"**

**Angel: "Yeah, Hideout Writer here does not own Stargate Atlantis. Atlantis was owned by the Lanteans, and is now owned by MGM. Hideout also does not own Maximum Ride, Max does. (But J.P. owns the rights to the books.) And lastly, **

**Hideout Writer does not own the initial idea to bring the Flock to Atlantis, Max does. (But The Layman has documentation rights.)"**

**Hideout Writer: "(sobs) Thank you, Angel.**

**Angel: "You're welcome. Hey! Readers! Cheer up this sobbing writer by leaving a review, and he will answer below! Oh, and The Layman was wrong. Chapter six is NOT where things kick into gear. THIS chapter is. See ya!"**

_It's true what Hideout Writer says; I was originally planning on taking this story in a different direction, but the muse just stopped singing. Anyways, enjoy!_

Sheppard's POV:

"Lorne?" I called, hitting my earpiece.

"Yeah, what is it, Colonel?" came the response.

"Could you set up six coms? One for each of our new guests?"

"Sure. Who are these guys, anyway?" Lorne asked. He hadn't been brought in on the loop.

"I don't really have a clue. They are fighters of some sort, I think. They might come in handy in fights against the Wraith."

"Huh, yeah, right." Lorne snorted.

"The youngest is only about seven or eight, but they indicated that they can all fight very well." Sheppard responded. He still wasn't sure why they were here, but wanted to make use of them while they were. "Sheppard out." It had been a rough week, and he went to his quarters to sleep. After programming his Ancient alarm clock, he sat on his bed, undressed, and fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Atlantis knew how tired he was, and 'forgot' to wake him through the alarm clock. She also removed his bio-sign from the internal sensors, locked his door, and dimmed the windows. After blocking communications to his room, she waited for morning before she would awake him.

Elsewhere in Atlantis:

McKay's POV:

This kid was very ATA sensitive. In the non-work related conversation that we had, I learned that she and the other 'flock' members were uncomfortable in tight spaces, but that she and a couple others actually_ liked _the Jumper. I also learned that they were unwilling to go to any hospital-like environment, due to their history with Itex. I made a mental note to tell Carson about that. Maybe he would make 'house calls' for them to make them more comfortable. "Angel?" She whipped her head around to me. "Would you be willing to come with me to the Chair Room? It's where Atlantis-"

"Has every control on the city that you could imagine. I know. And yes, I would be willing to go."

That was unsettling. So that's how everyone else felt when I was reading their minds! I shuddered. Before I could even get out the door, she was already out, and headed for the Chair Room. "Yeah, ignore McKay, 'cause unless there's an emergency, McKay is just a third wheel." I muttered sarcastically. Still grumbling to myself, I followed her.

Angel's POV:

I knew he was disgusted about me leaving him behind, but I didn't care all that much. He saw me as a way to turn on all the doo-dads he had in his lab. I was getting tired of it, and when he mentioned the Chair, Atlantis told me where it was, and I didn't bother waiting for McKay. When I got to the door of the Chair Room, there was a palpable energy that I could feel without casting my mind out to read someone. The door opened, and I almost reverently walked in. The door closed behind me, and I knew that Atlantis had been reading me and wanted McKay to stay away for a bit. I got halfway to the chair before I slowly spun around, taking in all the details of the room. The Chair looked really weird with all the silver webbing strung into it, and it looked really uncomfortable because it was so flat; not contoured at all. I hesitantly sat in the Chair, and it lit up, and then reclined like some sort of Lantean Laz-E-Boy®. I resisted it for a moment, because of my wings, then slowly lay back, splaying my wings out on either side of the Chair. The next thing that I knew, displays were lighting up all over the ceiling, and then I saw bright blue sparks dancing on my legs and moving up towards my head. I wasn't afraid of it, but I did ask Atlantis what she was doing. She told me that she needed me, and was assimilating me. The last thing I saw before the sparks engulfed me completely was the displays going dark again.

Atlantis' POV:

I had bonded with the girl, and was showing her everything about me. I also learned that the other 'experiments' were close friends of hers, and that she would do anything to protect them. She was worried that due to me bonding with her, that she would be unable to do anything with her friends. I assured her that I would return her to her corporeal state in a few hours. She was much relieved, and quit fighting me to go back. I told her that I needed the time to copy her consciousness to my data banks, and at the same time, copy parts of my coding to her. We would be each other to a certain extent. From her, I learned imagination, and compassion to a greater scale than I had previously. I was altering her body in ways that others would not understand, and hoped that she would be able to understand what I had done to her for her protection.

Due to her mind reading abilities, I was able to increase my sensitivity to my occupants. The Ancient gene would still be helpful to those who had it, but access for non-ATA holders would be increased.

I was using my ZPM to create miniature drones, and equip Angel with them. All to soon, my time was up, and I had to return her to the chair room. I can now communicate with Angel in a way that no one else can; she would be my corporeal representative to my inhabitants.

Angel's POV:

At first, I was angry that she would dare to take me from the rest without even asking, but when she explained, I forgave her, and asked only that she warn me before she tried something like that again. She didn't tell me much about what she was doing to my body, and I didn't ask. Atlantis had promised that what she was doing would not interfere with my ability to run and fly, and in general do the things that a normal eight year old bird-kid would do. All of a sudden, I felt the process of returning begin, and I knew that she had finished whatever she was doing. When my sight returned, I saw Max standing in the room, directly in front of the Chair. I also saw Rodney; he was scraping his jaw up off the ground. In a few seconds, the return was complete, and I un-reclined the Chair, standing as I did so.

"What were you doing?" Max asked me. She was angry, but after a moment of reading, I saw that under the anger, she was concerned, and scared. McKay was just flat out amazed.

"When Rodney here asked me if I wanted to go to the Chair Room, I jumped at the chance, and went straight here. Atlantis showed me where to go, and when I got here, I sat in the Chair. Atlantis hadn't warned me that she wanted to momentarily assimilate me, and caught me off-guard. By the time I saw the blue sparks working their way up my legs, it was too late for me to do anything, and so I was kind of forced to let her finish. I wasn't about to go anywhere without my legs." I said the last part with a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

"What did she do?" McKay was -for once- so curious that he left out the snarky, smug, know it all side of himself.

"She copied my consciousness into her memory banks, and downloaded parts of herself to me. In a way, I _am_ Atlantis, and she is Angel. It's kind of hard to describe. Atlantis told me a little about what she was doing to me while she worked. First and foremost, I can read and write in Ancient!"

"No way! But, but, but, that's impossible!" Whadda you know, McKay makes a pretty good motor boat.

"No, it's not impossible. You just saw me materialize on the Chair, I have freaking _wings_, I can read minds, and Atlantis likes me very much, as you saw. There are a lot of things that you thought impossible, but turned out to be possible. You yourself got hit with the Ascension accelerator, and developed multiple abilities, such as healing, mind control, and telekinesis. You of all people should have an open mind, McKay."

"Is there anything else that she did to you, Ange?"

"I don't think so, but who knows. I do know that I feel well rested. We are still going to the mainland, right?"

"Yes, but I think Carson will want to see you first, and probably Wier. Hey, have you seen Sheppard?"

"Yes, he's in his room, taking an Atlantis protected rest. He will wake in about…a half hour, I think. When he does, Atlantis will uncloak his bio-sign, open communication access, open his door controls, and un-dim his windows."

"Atlantis did all that for him?"

"Yeah, he is her favorite person here, and he did need the rest."

"Well," put in Max, "I came here because Lorne came to me with this" she held up a small black piece of plastic, "and told me that he couldn't find you. McKay came to me just seconds after Lorne left, and said that you had taken over the Chair Room. I followed him here, and then the doors opened to show - nothing. After about five minutes, I was ready to leave, but McKay told me that the Chair would be upright, and it was not. Thirty seconds after that, the blue sparks began dancing at your head, working their way down your body, and I think you know the rest. Are you ready for breakfast?"

"I'm fine for now. I guess Atlantis felt a little guilty for taking me without asking me first, and so she 'fed' and 'rested' me before she put me back." At the look Max was giving me, I said "I'm fine. Really, look for yourself." I put on the earpiece just in time to hear

"Sickbay to Angel, Come in please Angel."

"Angel here." I replied

"Ah good, you've received you're comset, I see. I need to examine you before you go to the mainland. Just to be safe."

"Understood. I'll be right there. Angel out." I turned to the pair standing in the doorway,

"I've got to go to Sickbay, Carson needs to check me out before I got to the mainland."

Max stood aside, and McKay left, headed for some coffee. I walked out of the Chair room, then burst into headlong flight when the passageway got wide enough for my wings. I decided against using the transporter for now, taking the stairs instead. When I got to the Sickbay, I was gently panting, and I waited a moment to allow myself to settle before I went in. Stepping in, I looked around for Carson.

"Ah, there ye are, little lass." He said kindly. I liked him, even though he was a doctor. "I'll be needin' ye to hop up here on the scanner bed so I can examine you." He grabbed a tuning fork, and triangular rubber hammer, and a spiked wheel. When he came back to me, he told me what he was going to do before he did anything. I guess that he didn't want to spook me, and that the rest of the flock had gone through this before me. "I'm not a very good veterinarian, so I'm trying to examine ye based on what information Maxine saw fit to give me. I'm going to start by testing your reflexes. What I will do is gently hit your knees with this mallet." he proceeded to do so, and I involuntarily kicked out gently when he tapped me. "Ah," he said "ye've got better than average reflexes. Next is hearing. I will tap the fork, the hold it next to your ears." When he tapped it, I told him "I can hear that from here." He seemed surprised, and put the fork down.

"Only that blind one, ah … Iggy, was it? Could hear that well." He took his stethoscope and listened to my heart for a moment. "Good. Alright, then. I need you to look me straight in the eye-that's it, now don't look away, I'm going to shine my penlight…" He swung it to my eyes and away a couple times, then put it away. "Good! Now for the last part. I need to take a blood test, and a full body scan, and then ye're good ta go, ok?" I didn't very much like the idea of the blood test, but Atlantis told me that he did that for everyone on Atlantis, and that he would not be using it for experimentation. I agreed to let him take it, but first, I presented him with a small sample of what happened to me at the School. "Ye've been through a lot, lass. I'm not surprised that you hate hospitals." He said, after the effect of my memory burst wore off. "I'll try to be as quick about this as I can." He took the sample, murmuring sympathetically about my history. "For the scan, I need you to lay down on the bed. Being that ye have wings, will it be uncomfortable to lay down on ye're back?"

I nodded. "Probably, but I can bear it for a little bit. How long will it take?"

"It will-" He stopped. "There is the results of a scan here, and it matches up perfectly to you. Is there something ye wish ta tell me?"

I knew I could hide it no longer. "Atlantis bonded with me." I said. "She led me to the Chair Room, and when I sat, she converted me to an energy form, and took me on a tour through the entire city. She taught me how to read and write in Ancient, and she put part of her coding into me. I am part of Atlantis, and she is part of me. We can communicate on a higher level than she could previously, or with anyone else. She may have altered my body somewhat as well."

"I would love to keep ye here for observation, but I understand how you feel about medical environments, so please promise me that ye'll come straight here if anything seems wrong with ye, ok?"

"Okay, I promise. And I will hold nothing back if anything does come up." He seemed relieved when I said that, and I asked "Is there anything else you need?"

"No, ye're free ta go. You should talk to Wier about that."

"'That' what?" I asked, though I knew full well what he was talking about.

"Atlantis bonding with ye."

"Oh. That."

"Aye." he grinned. "That."

"Angel to Wier," I said, tapping my earpiece.

"Wier here. What do you need, Angel?"

"I'm coming to the Control Tower. Can we talk in private?"

"Certainly, Angel. Is it something important?"

"You could say that." I said in as carefree tone of voice as I could manage. Being an eight year old bird kid helps with that. "Angel out. Thank you for taking the time to check me out, Carson."

"Not at all, lass. Ye can feel free to come again at any time, sick or healthy." He had a smile on his face as he shook my hand. "Ye best get on up to the Control tower now. At this point, Wier's expectin' ye."

I smiled. Here was a man who genuinely cared about the people around him. "You're right Carson. I'll see you around."

"'Bye now."

I turned, and with no further ado, ran to the transporter at the end of the hall. When the doors opened again, I was in the Control room. I walked up the stairs, and went into the conference room. I saw Wier sitting at one of the tables. Behind me, the doors rumbled closed.

"Do you know where Sheppard is? I can't get him on his radio, and he isn't in the city."

"Are you sure about that, Dr. Wier?"

"Yes. His bio-sign is not on-screen."

I smiled in spite of myself. Letting Atlantis speak through me, I said "I turned a blind eye to him, blocked radio communications, dimmed the windows, locked his door, and kept the lights down on his room. I'm also playing his favorite music to soothe him." Atlantis' voice through me seemed different compared to mine, more of a singing voice than I had.

"How? What? Huh?" she seemed slightly hysterical at the end.

"I did not come here to talk about the whereabouts of LTC Sheppard. I came to tell you what happened to me. During the last three or four hours."

"There was an energy spike in the Chair Room that lasted for about thirty seconds, then power came back to normal. Another spike, the same level as before occurred about half an hour ago."

"That was me. And Atlantis. She guided me to the Chair Room after Rodney suggested that we go there to run some tests, but I ran ahead of him. Atlantis 'greeted' me at the door, then opened it. After I stepped inside, the door closed, and locked. At that point, I had been getting very tired of Rodney because he was just using me as a way to turn on all his stuff. Anyway, I looked around, then sat in the Chair. It reclined suddenly, and because of my wings, I fought it for a second or two, trying to get comfortable. After I had laid back, displays started to light up, written in Ancient. I couldn't understand it, and then Atlantis took over." Atlantis took up the story. "After she sat in my Chair, I reclined it, and when she had settled down, I turned on several displays, just as I would have if McKay or Sheppard sat in it. After that, I assimilated her. That, Dr. Wier, was your energy spike. I copied her consciousness into my memory banks, copied parts of my coding into her, taught her the language of the 'Ancients' as you call them, and gave her a means of defense. After I had finished, I returned her to her corporeal form, shortly after unlocking the doors. She had fought me at first because she thought that she would be unable to participate in the activities that she had participated in previous to this event. As for your LTC Sheppard, he is just waking up. When you return to your computers, you will find him on my bio-signs screen. I have also unlocked his door, unblocked his comms, and am lightening his windows now. You can call him if you wish."

"Wier to Sheppard."

"Sheppard here."

"Sleep well?" There was a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Yeah. What time is it?"

"Five-thirty. When were you looking to get up?"

"Three. I have a lot that needs doing."

"Well apparently, it wasn't very important. Atlantis had locked you in your room and hidden you from sensors and communications."

"WHAT!" came the shout.

"She locked the door. Even Rodney couldn't get in."

"But why!"

"Because I care about you, John." Atlantis interjected through me.

"Who are you?"

"I am the voice of Atlantis. But you may call me Angel, because that is who you will see me as."

"What's going on here? Is this some sort of prank pulled on me by Rodney?" He sounded annoyed.

"No, this is real, John." said Wier. "I'll let Angel and Atlantis explain to you what is happening."

Connected to Atlantis as I was, I was a live life-signs detector, and I could differentiate between people. I ran towards Sheppard's sign. Coming to a stop before his door, I waited for a moment, then waved my hand over the door control. On the other side, he waved his hand over the control. The door opened.

"I wanted to explain in person what happened. Only certain people will know. You, Wier, Carson, and McKay will be the ones to know among the contingent on Atlantis. The Flock will also know. This is a secret." He nodded his understanding. "I was working with Rodney."

"That is a surprise. Most people can't stand the man because of his snarkiness."

"He's not the only one that snarks around here. He had me turning on all the Ancient gadgets that littered his lab, and then after a while, he suggested that we go to the Chair to run some tests. Atlantis showed me where to go, and I ran ahead of Rodney - well ahead. Atlantis 'greeted' me at the door, and I walked in after she opened the door ahead of me. After I sat, she took control, and assimilated me."

"That's a big word for an eight year-old; do you know what it means?"

"Yes, I'm not exactly your typical eight year old." Atlantis took up the story. "After I assimilated Angel, I copied her consciousness into my memory banks, and copied parts of my coding to her. We essentially became each other to a certain extent. I taught her what you call Ancient, and gave her a means by which she could defend herself at range. I also took a full body scan, and sent it to Sickbay along with the other medical information that I learned from her. She was quite distraught at first, because she thought that I had taken her, and would never return her. After I promised that she would be returned, unharmed to the Chair when I was done, she ceased her resistance to me, and I was able to finish the process of transfer. I unlocked the door to the Chair Room shortly before returning Angel to her corporeal form. I am now able to talk through her because of the changes I wrought upon her. And John, you are my favorite person in my halls." Atlantis ceased speaking, and returned control to me. "The reason that Atlantis locked you into your room, and shielded you so much was because you were very exhausted, and you needed the sleep. Don't be angry with Atlantis. Even Wier understands why she did it."

He looked unconvinced, but decided to drop it.

"Are you still coming to the mainland with us?"

"Heck yeah!" I responded enthusiastically. "Bonding with Atlantis has not altered my plans in the slightest."

He stopped so suddenly that I didn't notice that he had stopped.

"Prove to me that you bonded with Atlantis." he commanded.

"You and McKay like to race your R/C cars in one of the outer sections of the city. It's not inhabited, but it is powered and dry."

"You're right. Thank you for confirming. Why did Atlantis choose to bond with you?"

"Janus was working on a way to make Atlantis class ships sentient. He intended to bond with Atlantis, but event forced him to not do so. Everything was in place for his bonding when the Lanteans abandoned their city. I was the closest match to Janus; everything except for the avian DNA is exactly like Janus' DNA."

"Janus. That name is familiar…I have to talk to Dr. Wier." he tapped his comset.

"Sheppard to Wier."

"Wier here. What do you need, John?"

"Who was Janus? The name is familiar and I know you talked about him, but I didn't find it to be terribly important because I had other issues to deal with."

"Janus…he was an Ancient, and he was a scientist. He worked with a variety of projects, but few of them came to completion. Why do you ask?"

"Because apparently, Angel is his descendant, and Janus had planned to make Atlantis sentient by bonding with the city. When he was forced by the evacuation to leave the city, he had all but bonded with Atlantis. When Angel got here, Atlantis tried to figure out what was different about Angel, but decided that it did not matter. The two bonded, and you know the rest."

"Yeah, I know. That's some good info. Thanks."

"Thanks for the scoop on Janus. Sheppard out."

We were walking as he talked, and suddenly, I ran ahead, ending up in the control room, at the staircase that led to the Jumper bay.

"Hey!" I heard Sheppard yell behind me.

I ignored him, and ran up the stairs to the Jumper that we would be using to go to the mainland. It was powered down when I got there.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Sheppard said again.

"Watch." I said, gesturing towards the Jumper. I then walked up to it, and the section right in front of me lit up. The rest of the Jumper lit up as soon as my foot touched the ramp.

"I admit, I'm not that good." Sheppard said.

"May I fly it?" I asked. I used my telepathy to urge him to allow me to fly it.

"Uhh, sure. But I get to be co-pilot! I am not going to risk anything happening while you're flying it."

"Yeah, right! I won't wreck it, I promise."

Control Room:

Max's POV:

Everybody was gathered in the Control Room at the appointed time, with the notable exception of Angel. "Where's Angel?" I asked.

Someone at one of the computers in the nerve center said "She's already in the Jumper bay with LTC Sheppard."

"Great. Let's go. Wier said that one of the botanists was in charge of the food for the group, and another was in charge of seeing to it that we had enough food. We do." Much cheering from the Flock. "We are going to go to the mainland today in one of their Jumpers." Mixed reactions from the above mentioned Flock. "The door will be left open so we can get in and out as we please." Subdued cheering. I guess some figured that the Jumper was better than flying. "Well, everything is set; let's go." We walked up the stairs, and into the Jumper bay. We found one Jumper, lit up and ready to go. And the other one was already closing the back hatch. I pointed. "That one, has the food. It will be closed for the duration of the trip, but there are snacks it this one. Or so I've been told." Looking up, I saw that the upper door was already opening and that the 'supply' Jumper was already slipping out. We climbed aboard, and found - "Angel! Why are you sitting in the pilot's seat?"

"He said that I could." she replied, motioning to Sheppard.

"Hi." said Sheppard. "If we are ready to go, I'm gonna close the back hatch until we clear the city, at which point I will open it again."

"When do we go?"

"Now." Angel replied. She gripped the yoke-thingy in front of her, and the Jumper lifted off. "I told you this thing is neat!" She exclaimed.

"Humph."

We cleared the tower, and the rear hatch was opened.

"Finally! I didn't think that door would ever open, you know, this city reminds me of like Star Trek, you know? In fact-mmmph"

"Thank you, Ig." I said, a smile on my face. "I'm gonna show Sheppard just what I can do." I dropped into my warp-drive-thing, and shot forward, way ahead of the Jumper. I could imagine what Sheppard was saying at this moment in time.

**A/N: "Annnnnnnnnnd CUT! That's a wrap! Now, if the audience would leave a review, it would be much appreciated. EXTRA, EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! **

**There will now be a sneak peek section added to the bottom, after answers to readers.**

**Stay tuned for scenes from the next episode!**

**[Answers to reader would be here, but nobody reviewed. :(]**

**Scenes from the next episode!**

The trip is canceled due to poor weather, and the flock meets Ronon and Teyla in the gym.

_The Layman; Is any of that even possible? Well, it is now; it's in print. _

_Anywyas, as Hideout Writer said before, please review. PLEASE!_


	10. Chapter 9

**Hey everybody! I'm stuck at work full time this week, so I will be making several extra-long chapters for your enjoyment. (Note that an average chapter should end up at about three pages in my word processor, and extra-long is about double that.) I am also making these chapter **_**way**_**ahead of time; I only intended to manufacture one a week. Now, we have LTC John Sheppard with the Disclaimer! John?**

**Sheppard: Yeah, Hideout writer does not own Stargate Atlantis; if he did, I'd probably be getting into a lot more tight spots than I've been getting into recently. There would be more episodes of SGA, and he would be filthy rich. He also does not own Maximum Ride, James Patterson does. If Hideout Writer actually owned Maximum Ride, he would be filthy rich, and a movie based on the first book would be out by now!**

**Announcer voice: Thank youuuuu Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard! And now, GO! READ! THE! ! (and leave a review when you are done.)**

_The Layman here, saying I don't own anything either. Well, except for the first six chapters and the OC in them. _

_But enough about me, read on!_

Max's POV:

I shot ahead, knowing full well that Sheppard couldn't follow me at my current speed unless he left the rest of the Flock. I looked back and grinned. Even at the rapidly increasing distance, I could see Sheppard's face, and boy, he looked surprised that I was going this fast. I looked forward, and saw something dark on the horizon. As I got closer, I could better see what it was, and I saw the Jumper with all the supplies turning around, and going back. What was going on? Then I saw this huge flash of lightning. Right, Jumpers don't fly through massive thunderstorms. I turned around, and headed back for our Jumper. The storm was chasing us back to Atlantis, and I knew that he would have just turned around when the other guy told him about the thunderstorm. When I got close enough to see the Jumper without squinting, I saw that he had yet to turn around. _If Angel is flying, I hope she turns around soon, 'cause there's a big T-storm comin' our way._ I thought. I hoped that she was reading me at that moment. Suddenly, the Jumper swung around, and picked up speed. Nudge was the only one besides me still not in the Jumper.

"NUDGE! GET IN THE JUMPER NOW!" She got a scared look, and flew up to the ramp of the Jumper. She got on the ramp, and just sat there.

"Max, what's going on?" she asked, yelling over the wind.

"There's a huge thunderstorm coming, and the Jumpers don't work well in thunderstorms." I flew on, staying right in front of the Jumper. When I saw the city, I flew as fast as I could towards the city. I had just hit my top speed when I began to feel tingly all over. I hope this is just a new power, and not my expiration date. All of a sudden, a blue tunnel opened up, and I shot through it, coming out close to the central tower.

The Jumper:

Angel's POV:

Directly ahead, I could see Max flying. I peered ahead, and was able to see the city. When Max saw it, she poured on the speed, and flew -all out- for Atlantis. Suddenly, a blue tunnel opened, and she shot inside it. It closed right behind her.

"Did she just open a hyperspace window?" asked Sheppard.

"I have no clue what that is…oh, right. I don't know. Maybe."

Sheppard looked elated. "Maybe she will be able to jump to hyper space and take out

Wraith hives before they have a chance to figure out what happened."

I rolled my eyes. Was that all he cared about: ways to destroy the Wraith, and caring for the city?

"Nudge? Is Nudge in the Jumper?" I asked

"Yeah, she's on the Jumper." Gazzy replied.

"Good." I said, hitting the button to close the back door.

"Walp!" came the cry from Nudge as she tumbled off the ramp. "Angel! Why'd you do that! I could have been hurt, or I could have fallen off, and even though I didn't get hurt or fall out, it was still and mean trick to play on me, and-mmm-mm-mph!"

"Thank you, Iggy." I said, a smile in my voice.

"Don't mention it."

"Umm. Fang, and Nudge. Could you guys come up front to the cockpit side?"

"Sure. In fact could you-"

"Already on it. Do me and the LTC here a favor, Nudge. Word flow: Down." I commanded.

"Who died and made you Max?" I heard her think.

I closed the door dividing the two sections, just in time too, cause right before they closed, I heard the biggest fart in the world emanate from the Gasman.

"Uh, Angel? This display says that the rear life-support system is dead."

"Yeah, you know about the Gasman, right?"

"Uh, … oh."

"Yeah. Not exactly pleasant." I opened the back hatch so that the air could clear before we had to exit the Jumper. I also adjusted the Jumper's speed controls to maximum. Five minutes later, I slowed the Jumper considerably, and maneuvered for entry to the central tower. We landed, and I released the yoke as I stood up.

"What are you doing? You still need to actually land it! You can't leave a Jumper hovering like that, or you will burn out the batteries, and then it will fall."

"It's on the ground." I replied.

"Can we go now?" asked Nudge. "'cause I really don't like these things, and I want to get off!"

I leaned over and hit the button. With a slight hiss, the door opened. The back hatch was still open, and Gaz had already left with Iggy.

The Control Room:

Dr. Wier's POV:

I still didn't know what to do with this particular Accidental Activation of Ancient Technology. Angel had done something that nobody else had thought possible, without trying it. In addition to this, Atlantis was -if Angel's report was correct- sentient! The IOA

would have a field day with that! Just thinking about the IOA gave me a headache.

"Ma'am? The Jumpers have returned from the mainland."

Great, just great. Another headache to deal with. They were supposed to be away the whole day. Radek would not be too pleased about this. "They're ahead of schedule. What's wrong?" I asked. What will it be today? Wraith? Solar flare that can only be seen from a Jumper, that we need to protect against? Whale invasion? Athosians not happy for some reason? House guests don't want to go? No, that last one was unlikely. They had seemed so eager yesterday evening when I talked about it. On the other hand, that was before the latest AAAT. Well, maybe Sheppard could shed some light on this.

"There is a super cell thunderstorm of massive proportions heading towards me." came a voice, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Who said that?" I called.

"I did. You know me as Atlantis." came the voice. I recognized that voice. Angel had spoken in that same voice when Atlantis talked through her. If Atlantis had talked through Angel.

"I assure you, I did talk through Angel. It is easier to talk through her than to talk directly to those living in my halls. You may wish to talk to your visitors. They will be right outside your door in mere seconds." So saying, the voice of Atlantis faded away.

"Visitors?"

Tap, tap, tap. I looked up.

"Can we come in?" asked the Gasman.

"We want to help." said Iggy.

"Really? How do you intend to help?"

"We're pretty good with explosives, and making bombs." said Gazzy, a proud tone in his voice.

"Should I be worried?" I asked. I hadn't read everything about them, just the basics.

"Not if you help us help you." said Iggy. _He seems to be more serious than the Gasman. I'll give him a shot._I finally said, "Siddown, both of you." They sat. "I will let you try this, BUT, let me warn you, if ANYTHING happens that shouldn't, you're getting removed from your explosives. That means no bombs in the city. I don't care if it's a stink bomb, or a smoke bomb, or any other kind of bomb, NO BOMBS IN THE CITY! Also, no bombs going off in the Jumpers, unless it can't be helped. As in, there are enemies in the Jumper, and they've figured out how to use it. You will be with LTC John Sheppard's team, and you will answer directly to him. Am I clear thus far?" They nodded vigorously.

"Good. Oh, and one more thing, Max MUST sign off on this first, otherwise, you aren't going anywhere. You hear?"

"Yes ma'am." they chorused in unison.

"Good. Dismissed." Oh, I hope Max doesn't kill me for that. She seems to be highly protective.

"Can I come in?" Speak of the devil, there's Max.

"Sure. What do you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, everyone seems to be finding things to do around here, and I figured I might as well do the same."

"What do you mean, 'everyone'?" I asked, curious.

"Well," she replied "Angel bonded with Atlantis, Gaz and Ig want to join Sheppard as 'elite explosive managers', and the only ones that haven't found a job yet are me, Fang, and Nudge."

"What do you specialize in?" I asked. "We can use all the help we can get."

"Fang and I can open the biggest whup-ass you ever seen on anything, and Nudge like fashion. She might do good with the botanists."

"Okay, that's a good start," I said. "I'll check with the Lieutenant Colonel and see if he would be willing to take you and Fang on missions."

"Sounds good. Oh, and I'm sorry that we had to come back. There's a huge thunderstorm coming in."She tapped her headset.

"Ride to Sheppard. Come in."

"Sheppard here. What's up, Max?"

"I would like to join your team along with Fang, Ig, and Gaz. Dr. Wier said that it was okay, as long as you were fine with it."

"I tell you what. Beat Ronon and Teyla in a two-on-one sparring match, and you can consider yourself on the team. How's that sound?"

"Fine by me." she was working hard to suppress a grin.

"Sheppard out."

Max's POV:

So…he wants me to beat up a couple people that he thinks are the best there is. Whatever.

"Max to Fang, come in."

"I'm right behind you"

"Jeez! You've gotta stop doing that!"

"What, breathing?"

"No, sneaking up on me like a fricking ghost! Do you want to join Sheppard's team? All we gotta do is beat up two of his team members."

The corners of his mouth twitched, the Fang version of rolling on the floor and laughing uncontrollably.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." I turned and asked Dr. Wier where the gym was. She told me, then Fang and I walked down to the gym.

The Gym,

Ronon's POV:

"Hey, Ronon!" Sheppard.

"What?"

"Our 'house guests' want to join the team and help us kill the Wraith."

I grunted. "Fine by me. The more the merrier, you used to say."

"Well, as a condition of joining the team, the have to beat you and Teyla in a two-on-one match."

"Why both of us?"

"Because they claim to be stronger. She seemed confident that she would win. I've gotta go find Teyla." he hurried off.

Well, I've been waiting for the Daedalus to bring me fresh meat. I guess I've got some extra. I walked to the gym, and began practicing with my stick.

Teyla's POV:

*Ding* I stood up, and walked over to the door.

"Sheppard! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, our house guests want to join the team, and I told them that they have to figh against you and Ronon in a two-on-one match."

"Why both of us, John? Our abilities combined would destroy them!"

"Maybe. They claim to be stronger than average humans. I figured that if the could take you and Ronon, they would be more than a fair match for the Wraith."

"John! They are only children! You cannot send them against the Wraith at their age!"

"Hey, they were the ones asking! I didn't come asking for more team members. All I did was set the test."

"Very well. I will go to the training room at once."

"Thank you." He turned and left.

Rodney's POV:

"Hey! Rodney, wait up!"

"Oh, hi Sheppard. I was wondering when you were going to stop babysitting."

"Yeah, well. Now they want to join the team."

"No. Uh-uh, absolutely not. Ain't gonna happen. Not on my watch." I said, sincerely hoping he was joking.

"Actually, it's not your choice. They get to fight Ronon and Teyla, one at a time."

"Both of them! They'll kill those kids!"

"I doubt it, but didn't come here to argue about that. I came here to lay a bet with you that Teyla and Ronon will win."

"If they don't win, what do I get?"

"Two cans of your favorite coffee next time the Daedalus comes. And if I win; what do I get?"

"Two cases of Snickers bars."

"Deal." We shook on it, and he turned around, leaving my lab.

"Wait, are they doing it right now?"

"Yeah!" he called over his shoulder.

"Well…wait for me!"

Dr. Wier's POV:

It had certainly gotten very quiet; where was everybody? Oh, right, John had stated that if

they beat his best two in an unbalances fight, that they could join his team. I guess I will go see how they are faring.

In the gym, everybody was gathered around, and Jon had a look on his face that stated the loss of another bet. I smiled in spite of myself.

"Who's winning?" I asked.

John turned to me. "Oh! 'Lizabeth. Gazzy, Iggy and Fang have won their respective fights hands-down, and Max here seems to be _toying _with Ronon and Teyla. I bet poorly."

"What'd you lose?" I asked.

"Two cans of McKay's favorite coffee."

Max had her stick held out in front of her, and was twirling it when she suddenly stopped, raised her knee, and broke the stick across her knee. Twirling her half-sticks, she blocked several shots in succession from Teyla, and put Ronon on the defensive.

"Enough," she said. "I'm tired of fighting you." Max advanced two steps, and cracked Ronon _hard_ over the head, and he slumped to the floor, out cold. I gasped. That _had_to hurt. She whirled 'round, dropped her sticks, and picked up Ronon's stick. Spinning it rapidly, she knocked both sticks out of Teyla's hands, dropped her own stick, and getting behind Teyla, administered the 'Sleeper's hold'. After a second or two, Teyla dropped to the floor, out cold.

"Good enough for you, Lieutenant Colonel?" she asked, stressing the Lieutenant Colonel part.

"Yeah, that's good enough for me."

"Good."

She strode over to Teyla, and picked her up, setting her on the seat in the corner next to the door. She then picked up Ronon and slung him over her shoulder as if he was a sack of potatoes. She grabbed Teyla and did the same thing on the other shoulder, and marched out of the gym.

Max's POV:

I had finished the test, and was taking them to the Sickbay when Teyla started to come to.

I set Ronon down on the floor, and gently sat Teyla against the wall.

"What…happened to me?" she asked softly.

"I beat you and Ronon." I stated flatly. Picking up Ronon again, I asked "Can you walk?"

"Yes…I think so." she replied.

"Good. I'm taking Ronon to Sickbay. You coming with me?"

"Yes, I will come."

"Dr. Beckett!" he turned. "I have an unconscious Ronon Dex here for you, and a weak, but awake Teyla Emmagen for you." I gently dumped Ronon on the Ex-long bed.

Producing a scrap of paper and presenting it to him, I said "Sign here, please."

"What? Why d'ya want me to sign that, lass?"

"It's a receipt. Fedex has you sign a data pad when they dump a box at your door."

"This is probably the most bazaar thing that has happened since Angel bonded!"

I smirked as he signed.

"Here ya go. Now, what's wrong with tha patients?"

"I went into a two-on-one fight with them. And won."

"That tells all, lass. Thank ye for telling' me. Can ye tell me why you were in such a brawl?"

"I wanted to join Sheppard's team, and that was his test."

"I see. Na why would ye wish ta join his team, lass?"

"My name isn't 'lass'; it's 'Maximum Ride', and I wanted to join his team so that I could tear something apart. I used to go up against odds of thirty to six with the Erasers, and so this two on one thing was no sweat. I hear that you have a species here in the Pegasus galaxy that is an acceptable target for my fighting abilities called the Wraith?"

"Aye, Maximum. We do. And they're nae so easy as Ronon and Teyla."

"Have you heard of were-wolves?"

"Aye, men that changed into wolves on the night of the full moon, right?"

"Yeah, well. Erasers are were-wolves that can change at will, and were created by Itex.

They lived for about six years, and they hunted us full time. We usually faced odds of five-to-one, but we still managed to escape their grasp. They were my training. That and surviving on what I could find in the dumpsters, and desert rats. I very much doubt that the Wraith have anything new to show me."

"They have an oval shaped opening on their right hands; they use it to feed on their prey.

Their 'prey', their 'cattle', are humans, and when they feed, they steal years from ye. If they ever feed on ye, ye're lifespan will be considerably shortened, unless you can convince them to give it back, and that rarely happens."

"Great." I muttered sarcastically. Just what I need, no enemies that wish to take me back to a lab, just enemies that see me as a warm meal.

The next day:

"Suit up!" I heard Sheppard call. "We leave in five."

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"Well, your 'Iggy' and 'Gazzy' wish to test their bombs on the Wraith, and P2-MX-7a just happens to be a Wraith controlled planet."

"Good! I can't wait to take names, and bust ass."

"I don't think they have names." he replied. "But even if the do, they don't share them with us."

We walked to the Jumper bay. "What's Angel doing here?" I asked. "I didn't see her take Teyla and Ronon."

"Yeah, about that…you know, I really don't know why she's here."

Of course, she used mind control on Sheppard. "How many times have I told you not to control people unless it's a life-or-death situation?" I hissed.

"How many times have I used mind control when it wasn't life-or-death, and got caught?" she asked.

"Six times that I remember. But that-"

"In that case, you've told me not to use mind control at least six times." she said sweetly.

"Urgh! You really are trying to torq me, aren't you?"

"Not trying. Doing."

Resist the urge, Max. Resist the urge to slap her into next week.

Sheppard spoke up, breaking through my thoughts of punishments for Angel with "Since Angel and I are the best pilots, we will be taking two Jumpers. Rodney, Teyla, and Ronon, you guys with me, the rest of you with Angel."

Since 'the rest of you' encompassed five people, Gazzy was voted the guy in the back. He had a cart with several explosives, and a weird vacuum thingie. It had a hose, a compressor, and a pressure tank in the back. "For my signature scent." he explained proudly.

Angel closed the door, and slowly followed Sheppard's Jumper. She had an intense look of concentration on her face, and below, I heard the Stargate dialing. A second later, I heard the sound of the water vortex being pushed out, then retracting to hold a steady screen of whatever that stuff was.

*Angel, was that you?*

"Yeah, that was me."

*P2-MX-7a, right?*

"Uhh,…yup."

*Good*

Sheppard's Jumper shot forward, and we dropped down to where his had been. A second later, we shot through, and I heard the 'gate closed behind us.

Angel cloaked the Jumper, saying "Let's remember where we parked, okay?"

"Sounds reasonable." I said. I hefted my weapons, a stick as long as I was tall, and two smaller sticks that were about half the size of the big stick. I also had, in case of an emergency, a P-90, and two handguns. I was trying hard to forget I had them.

Beside me, Fang was checking his weapons. He had a P-90 as his weapon of choice, and eight or nine matching magazines. He also had an odd looking pistol, the barrel was extremely long. "It's silenced." he said, after seeing the question on my face. Right. Fang:

Invisibility and silence on the move.

Iggy had some specialized rocket launcher, it had this weird screen that fit over his eyes. I guess it shows a white picture, with tiny blips to indicate people and objects.

Gazzy was still working with his compressor vacuum, and I saw a number of odd bombs that where not on the cart when we left.

"Odor-Le-Gaz stink bombs." he said, and behind me Iggy sniggered.

"That'll be a riot."

We had arrived at nighttime for this planet, and I looked around, trying to see if there was anything around me. Picking out a spot, I settled into a crouch, waiting for my opponents to come.

I saw Sheppard and his team moving out, and Gazzy came running up. "I think we are supposed to follow them." he said. I flew over to Sheppard, and when I landed he said

"Send Gazzy over to us, the rest of you, guard the Jumpers."

"Okay," I said, and took flight again. "Gaz, you're with Sheppard, the rest of us are guarding the Jumpers. Take half of your arsenal, and leave the rest for Ig. I doubt that you can carry all those bombs, and I don't think that Ig has enough rockets." He selected several of his bombs, and flew off, headed for Sheppard. "All right, the rest of you! We are to guard the Jumpers while Sheppard an Co. do whatever they came here to do. Now, since I want a big fight, I'm gonna chuck four glowsticks: one for each point of the compass."

Nobody said anything for a moment, then Fang said, "If you do that, you'll bring the place down around our ears."

Angel put in with, "Do it! I have drones on the Jumpers, and I can use my mind against them."

With no further discussion, I cracked a glow stick, and waited a couple seconds, then chucked it. "I call that North!" I yelled. Cracking a second one, I turned ninety degrees, and flung the next one. "I call that East!"…"South!"…"West!"

No sooner had I flung 'West' than several pasty-green _things_ came out of the forest. Fang fitted a silencer to his P-90, and after setting it to semi-auto, began firing. Slipping my sticks into the loops on my vest, I spun the spar stick over my head.

The Wraith charged me. I sidestepped, swinging hard enough to break bones. Iggy fired, and the Wraith turned towards him just in time to get hit with the rocket. Fang was still firing, I could see his tracers in the air.

In my maneuvering, the Wraith had separated me from the group. I crouched into a ready position, ready to fight, and a song popped into my head. It was David Garrett's instrumental version of _Smooth Criminal_. They came at me from all directions, and I swung hard, taking out the ones behind me without even looking. The ones in front began to see me in a new light, but didn't think about it long, as I cracked them on the head in a sweep stroke. Changing sticks, I began a ballet, humming the song as a taunt. Time went by like this, and it could have been hours, it could have been mere seconds. Either way, when I was done, the was a large pile of bodies on the ground, and I was drenched in sweat, but untouched by these _things_. Putting the sticks back in their loops, I picked up the larger stick, and flew over to the group. Iggy was out cold, but nobody looked like they had suffered any injuries.

"That was fun." I said. When John got back, he would have quite the surprise. I heard a massive _BOOM! _and then I saw Gaz running back ahead of the rest of the team. When they got to the Jumpers, Sheppard called me over.

"What happened here?" He asked, deadly quiet.

"I upchucked four glowsticks, yelling out North, East, South, and West. When I chuck the last one, the Wraith showed up, and we fought them. Ig got hit with some sort of blue light, and was knocked out cold, but other than that, he seems fine. No-one else was hurt in the fight. What happened on your end?" I asked the last part almost teasingly.

"We hadn't gone sixty paces from the clearing when I saw you throw the first stick, and bellow 'I call that North!'. W hightailed it on a circuitous route to the laboratory, and there were no guards, no patrols, nothing. We set charges, and left. We were detected right as we left, and a small group of Wraith soldiers followed us when Gazzy here chucked what he called 'The Stinking Grenade of Death.' When it blew up, the Wraith were downwind, and while the first two were killed by the blast, the third was not. He died of suffocation, I think. When we got here, I saw piles upon piles of Wraith, and you drenched in sweat.

Naturally, I was curious to know what happened." Raising his voice so all could hear, he said "That's all guys. Load 'em up, and let's get out of here!" Angel un-cloaked the Jumper, and we got in, dragging Iggy to his seat, and propping him up in it. Gaz closed the back door, and Angel quickly hit the switch for the front door.

Turning the Jumper around, I saw the Stargate light up, and stabilize. I wondered what Nudge had been doing.

**Stay tuned for scenes from the next episode of Angels on Atlantis!**

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I was wandering around the city when Dr. Wier called me.

"Dr. Wier to Nudge. Come in please."

"Nudge here!"

"If you like flowers you could help out the botanists in the garden section. I called ahead, and they said that they would be glad to have you with them."

"Sure. It sounds like fun! In fact-"

"Sounds good to me. I have paperwork I need to work with, so Wier out." the radio went dead. Well, where's the garden?

_To Andrew; I'm glad you liked the first chapter, it's admittedly one of my best attempts at writing Fanfiction. I was trying to emulate Patterson's style in "Maximum Ride" for the first six chapters. _

_I'm also glad you were able to apriciate some of the humor as well. I couple things were actually taken from other TV shows, but a majority I tried to make vintage Max. _

_Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story just as much, as well as the new writer I've hired to keep it alive._


	11. Chapter 10

*voice of Teyla here* _"Previously, on Angels on Atlantis:"_

Directly ahead, I could see Max flying. I peered ahead, and was able to see the city. When Max saw it, she poured on the speed, and flew -all out- for Atlantis. Suddenly, a blue tunnel opened, and she shot inside it. It closed right behind her.

"Did she just open a hyperspace window?" asked Sheppard.

"I have no clue what that is…oh, right. I don't know. Maybe."

Angel had done something that nobody else had thought possible, without trying it. In addition to this, Atlantis was -if Angel's report was correct- sentient! The IOA would have a field day with that! Just thinking about the IOA gave me a headache.

"Suit up!" I heard Sheppard call. "We leave in five."

**Nudge's POV:**

I was walking around, trying to get a feel for the city, when my radio came to life.

"Dr. Wier to Nudge. Come in please."

"Nudge here!" I said excitedly.

"If you like flowers, you could help out the botanists in the garden section. I called ahead, and they said that they would love to have you help them."

"Sure. Sounds like fun! In fact-" Dr Wier cut me off.

"Sounds good to me. I have paperwork I need to deal with, Wier out." she cut the transmission.

Well, where's the garden? I chose a direction at random, and began walking. As I walked, I started trying just how many Wraith Max had taken out. Twenty? Thirty? As I was thinking, I was also randomly walking. Suddenly, I found myself in Sickbay.

"Hello…, Nudge, is it?" one of the people asked.

"Yeah, and you are…?"

"Dr. Beckett. I'm in charge of Sickbay. Are ye lost? Or are you explorin', luv?"

"Exploring, but I'll go with lost. I can't seem to find the gardens, and Dr. Weir said that I was welcome to help with the flower cataloging. So I've been walking around, trying to figure out where it is, and I don't know, and Angel isn't here to help me find my way, and everyone is so busy-"

"Lass, I know now why the others with ye called ye 'motor mouth'." He grinned. "I'll show ye to the gardens."

I pouted at the name 'motor mouth', but I supposed I deserved it. I just have so much to talk about!

We arrived at the gardens, and he turned to me saying "You take good care now, lass. I'll see you later." With that, he left. Swiping my hand over the door control and waiting for the door to open, my thoughts turned again to Max and the others. I didn't mind fighting so much; I just didn't want to do it _all the stinking time!_Being in the gardens would help, mainly because it was the closest thing I could get to fashion. For all the time I've been here, I have yet to even see a pair of Prada _anything_! Everyone wore the Atlantis uniform, but it wasn't very fashionable; I would have to fix mine soon.

**Control Room:**

**Dr. Wier's POV:**

"Unscheduled off-world activation!" the Gate technician on duty called out.

"Raise the shield." I responded. Sometimes it seemed weird that every time our gate was called that we always raised the shield

"Yes, ma'am." he called out. "Receiving IDC now." he noted. "It's Sheppard's team. They wanna come back home now." Did I hear a bet hidden in his voice?

"Well, let them through."

"Atlantis, this is Sheppard; mission was a success."

"What happened, John?" I asked, eager to know how they did it so quickly.

"The leader of the bird-kids, Max, was dumb enough, or brave enough -I don't know which yet- to give away her location, along with four others. The Wraith swarmed them, and we got in and out with not so much as a peep. Three Wraith found on our way back and followed us, but our resident explosives expert took care of them in short order."

I smiled in spite of myself. "Still want to send the kids home?"

"Aw, wipe that smug grin of your face. You knew this would happen, didn't you?"

"I didn't know it would turn out quite like this, but I liked what I saw when I realized it would come out like this." The first Jumper came through, and when I looked, I saw Angel waving enthusiastically at me. "John?"

"Yes?" came the innocent response.

"In your debrief, I want you to tell me why Angel is flying a Jumper. To my knowledge, she has had no formal instruction. From you or otherwise." The silence that followed my proclamation showed that I was right.

Five minutes later…

"She told me she knew how to fly them. I figured it would be alright to let her fly them, mainly because I knew that she was going to fly whether or not I let her." He was on the defensive, and throwing out that little bit about whether or not he let her was an attempt at distraction. It worked, mainly because I wanted to know how he knew that.

"How do you know that she would disobey?" I asked sternly.

Knowing he was sunk no matter which way he went, he answered. "She told me. With her mind. She's a telepath, and when she said that, with her mind, I believed her. By letting her fly them with my permission, I figured there would be less trouble. Besides, given what happened, wouldn't she be qualified to fly them?"

He had me, and he knew it, but was trying hard not to show it on his face.

"You have a good poker face John, and you're right, you've won this round. Even so, you should have tested her before letting her fly. The Jumper I mean," I amended when realized who I was talking about.

"But I did! The day that we were supposed to go on the picnic. She was flying, and I was co-pilot, to make sure she didn't crash or anything. She made the best landing I have ever witnessed. I never even felt it, and told her that she hadn't landed. She brought up the HUD, and showed me that the Jumper was indeed resting on the deck."

"Well…"

"As far as Ancient tech goes, I think she one step removed from being Ascended. I mean that thing with Atlantis…" he trailed off.

"Well, just make sure that you and Rodney keep an eye on her, okay? I don't want there to be any…problems."

"OK," He replied easily, standing to leave.

"John? Wait. I got a message from Stargate Command; they're sending one more person over. He claims to know about the six kids that we already have here. Oh, and the IOA is coming to review my performance."

"But you've done a great job! I mean, with all the pressure that is on this base, what with the Wraith and all the technology that we don't understand, you've done as good a job as anyone could have done in your position!"

"I appreciate your defense, John, but the IOA doesn't see it that way. I expect you to cooperate with whoever they send."

"Fine. But I don't have to be happy about it, do I?"

"No, but you should be diplomatic about things."

John grunted.

"I'll take that as a yes, then."

He grunted again, indicating that he did not wish to speak further on the subject.

**John Sheppard's POV **

I hated the idea of the IOA coming in here like they owned the place, and giving Elizabeth some performance review just because they could. Deep down, it was because she let me get away with things that I would never have gotten away with if Col. Sumner had been in command of Atlantis. She understood that things were intrinsically different here, and was able to adapt to suit the situation. Besides, I liked her. She had a different viewpoint than I did, but we usually got to the same conclusion anyway. It wasn't right, what the IOA was doing. But I realized that I would have to be at least a little polite if I wanted Elizabeth to remain as the civilian leader of Atlantis. I was interested in this 'seventh kid', and decided to ask Max about it.

**Ten minutes later, with Max.**

"I don't know of anyone else being affiliated with us," she declared. "Well, at least not _friendly_ people. There are plenty of enemies that know about us, but no friendly people, mutant or otherwise. Who is this person?"

"I don't know, Elizabeth didn't tell me much except that the person in question is male. She brought up the fact that an IOA representative is coming to, quote: 'review her performance while under pressure' end quote.

"It's a line of crap. I know it, she knows it, and the IOA knows it. They just want to replace her with someone more bent to their agenda. They're half-assed fools if they think that they are going to muscle their way in here, find some excuse to fire her, and then replace her with some pawn of their own. I refuse to allow it!"

She snorted. "Yeah, right! If I know anything about politics-'cause that's what this is-politics, it's that nothing happens by muscle, but by money, and the good guys never win in real life."

"So cynical. Besides, as the leader of the military here on Atlantis, I can do things that other people wouldn't get away with. The difference with Elizabeth is that I respect her, and she has a way about her that I can't touch. I've seen the other people in the IOA, and I would have no problem steamrolling them."

"Oh, there you are! I've been looking all over for you."

"Rodney, when you are looking for me, it's typically either you are in trouble, or I'm about to be. So my question is, why are you looking for me?" I did a double take, "And why are you carrying those Bantos rods?"

"I found them in your quarters." Rodney replied smugly. "I have a bet with Ronon."

"What kind of bet?" I was very suspicious at this point. Ronon almost never made a bet with Rodney.

"Oh, nothing really…just this." Before I could act, he hit me over the head as hard as he could, which wasn't all that hard.

"McKay! What the hell was that for?" Now I was pissed.

"I bet Ronon that I could hit you with these rods-on the head-before you could do anything about it."

I looked around, but didn't find Ronon. However, I did see Teyla. She had a camcorder in her hand, and I was pretty sure it was recording.

"RODNEY!" He jumped, and started running. I chased him, and caught him a moment later. Taking the Bantos rods from him, I took him over to the nearest transporter. Touching the screen for the Control Tower, I wrestled Rodney's bulk into a more manageable position.

"Wh-what are you going to do to me?" he whined.

"You'll see." Dragging him into the control room, I motioned to one of the techs at the computers. "Get me on city-wide, please." There was a tone, and he nodded at me.

"Attention, all personnel. Rodney has made a bet with Ronon. The details of the bet were that Rodney could hit me over the head before I could do anything. Teyla recorded the whole thing, but neither Teyla, nor Rodney, nor Ronon expected me to do what I am about to do. If you want to see what I am about to do, come to the Gate Room to see it. You will have five minutes to get here." I passed my hand over my throat in a slashing motion, and the tech turned off the city-wide. Just then Elizabeth came out of her office.

"John?"

"Rodney hit me over the head for personal gain. I'm not letting him get away with it."

"What exactly are you going to do?" she asked, a little more stern this time. "I need my best scientist to be in one piece."

"Oh, thank heavens, someone with some sense!" whined McKay.

"I'm gonna spank him. Like a little kid. Isn't that right, Rodney?"

"Oh, crap."

"John…," Elizabeth chided.

"I'll use the rods that he hit me with, and I won't hurt him…much." I couldn't help feeling smug. "I refuse to be hit over the head for someone's personal gain without my foreknowledge and permission."

Searching him for knives, and any other tool that he could use to get free, I handed the two knives and the pen that I found to a nearby tech. I then took his shoelaces, and tied his hands to the wall at the top of the flight of stairs. By now, the gate room was pretty much filled with people.

"Do you really have to do this?" whined McKay.

"Yeah. My only question is whether or not Ronon was to protect you if you won the bet."

"No."

"Good." I proceeded to dramatically wind up, and then swing down as hard as I could, slowing drastically before actually making contact. I did this a total of twelve times, doing a full swing on the last one, and not slowing down. _That_ one he felt, and I guessed he would continue to feel it for a solid half an hour.

"_YEOW!"_ the Canadian scientist roared. I untied him, and he turned and ran down the stairs headed for his lab.

Seeing Dr. Wier semi-glaring at me, I walked over and said, "Well, I couldn't demote him. I couldn't kick him off my team, and I couldn't dock his pay. This will be memorable, and I very much doubt that anybody will try that sort of stunt ever again. Besides, I only gave him a total of one real swat."

"I appreciate that you didn't want to lose him, but don't you think that took things a bit far?"

"HE hit ME on the HEAD for PERSONAL GAIN! I couldn't let that stand!"

"Okay, okay, calm down a little." Elizabeth held up her hands as if in surrender.

"If it's any at all, John, I approve of what you did. It kept it light-hearted, but got the point across."

I whirled, and Angel was standing there. She had grown since I last saw her. Angel looked less like an eight year old, and more like a sixteen year old. She still had an aura of purity around her, though; most kids that age rarely seemed as pure as Angle did. She had a simple choker necklace that had a small blue box with Ancient writing on it, and it was lit from within. The light from the small box faded, and she turned and left.

_**Neutral POV:**_

Angel walked through the halls at a quick pace, tapped into Atlantis' internal sensors. She was able to detect clumps of people and act accordingly. Waving her hand over a door control crystal, she entered, and flopped down on her bed. The government had paid for an Ipod for all members of the flock, and paid for a hundred songs per player to boot. Angel picked hers up, and began idly spinning the wheel, stopping after a moment, and letting the song play through, and leaving the library on 'shuffle'. Laying down on her side, she closed her eyes and to everyone else, she appeared to be asleep. The box began to glow again, and her eyes darted back and forth as they would in high REM sleep. Her face twitched multiple times before she calmed again, and the box's glow ceased.

_**Meanwhile, in the control room:**_

"The _Daedalus _has arrived, ma'am."

"Thank you." Elizabeth walked down to the same level as the 'gate, and waited for the visitors to be beamed down. A moment later, there was a bright flash of light, and Richard Woolsey stood before her. "Welcome to Atlantis." she said, holding out her hand.

"Thank you." He looked around. "I can see why General O' Neill likes this place. I will be beginning my review at once." He walked up the stairs and entered the briefing room. Shortly afterwards, Sheppard, Ronon, Teyla, and McKay entered. Moments later, the flock walked in. Angel seemed to be distracted, and her eyes were still closed, but her accuracy in finding a seat rivaled Iggy's accuracy. The Ancient box was lit again. And when her eyes opened, it was not Angel, but Atlantis personified. Woolsey seemed slightly unnerved by her presence but pressed on anyway. The doors closed, and the lights brightened in preparation for the meeting. Woolsey attempted to open the meeting right away, but Atlantis overrode him.

"Wait," she said, "we're not ready yet."

Dr. Weir looked at her in surprise, but let it slide. A moment later, one of the doors rotated to admit one of Rodney's underlings with three pitchers of coffee. He set down the coffee on one of the tables and walked back out for a moment, returning with a tray of mugs. As soon as he left, the door closed again, and Atlantis inclined her head to indicate that the meeting could proceed. Woolsey looked like he knew he was on thin ice and couldn't do anything about it.

"I heard the report about Atlantis becoming sentient, so I will direct the majority of my questions to her at this meeting." He paused for a moment, unsure as how to proceed.

"Atlantis, it has come to my attention that you are fully sentient, correct?"

At the nod of her head, Woolsey proceeded.

"In that case, I think that my orders should be revised slightly. Have you ever taken it upon yourself to forcibly remove someone from your halls?"

"I have never destroyed anyone, but I have made it very unpleasant for certain people to stay here in the past."

"So then it is at your behest that we remain, am I right?"

"Yes."

"In that case, what is your personal declaration of Dr. Weir's actions in command here? If it were entirely up to you, should she stay in her current command?"

"To the second question, yes, she should stay in her current position. As to your first question, that may take some time.

"She is a very competent leader, and she balances her duties well. I have not seen her try anything that could be defined as inappropriate, and she is very compassionate. While there are people who would refuse sanctuary here, I have watched as she took in whole peoples from other worlds. She has helped many to relocate from disasters, or from severe Wraith attacks. Many times, she has invited people to remain here as a part of the team. She has taken calculated risks for the greater good based on the resources available to her, and very rarely has it not panned out the way she wanted to. It is my opinion that she should stay, removed only by death itself. That's not to say that she should be killed to install one of your own. That is the short version of my side of the story. There may be others with opposing views. If that is all you require of me, I would like to go now."

Woolsey nodded, jotting down the information he had received.

"Oh, and Woolsey? I think that out of all the personnel from the IOA, you are the best because you pursue the truth like a dog after a bone."

One of the doors opened, and she glided out, the door quietly rotating shut behind her.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

_Hideout Writer here: So sorry friends, I've been busy with 'The Stargate of Alagaesia' and the inspiration just wasn't coming, but it's here now, so leave a review, and I'll see you again. (hopefully soon)_

_Answers to Readers:_

_To GallifreyanGhostGirl: So glad you like it. I try hard to keep thing balanced, so hopefully it'll turn out all right._

_To Baby-Rosalita: I'm glad you love Atlantis, I just can't wait for the movie to come out. (whenever that happens)_

_Read, review, til next time, goodbye, and stay tuned._

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

**Layman here, and this chapter is brought to you by…Nothing! That's right, nothing. **

**No, I kid you. HideoutWriter wrote this. Pleases review favorably! **


	12. Chapter 11

_Gaah! It has been forever since I updated. Last updated on the Seventeenth of November? That's almost a year ago! I can't believe my own laziness! Actually, I've been really involved with something almost more important, The Stargate of Alagaesia. It's been fun, and I've been updating every three days or less. Anyway, you didn't come to see me talk, you came to read a story!_

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

_With Angel:_

Having done what needed doing in the conference room, Atlantis released her hold on Angel, who didn't know where to go from there. Finally, she walked down the stairs, and wound up in the mess hall. It was deserted except for a few people who liked eating alone. Angel loaded a tray, and took it to a balcony that was hidden from most people. Setting up a chair that had been redesigned by Nudge to make it more "wing friendly", she sat down and put her feet up.

"Anything in particular on your mind, Angel?" asked a familiar voice.

Angel's head whipped around fast enough that her hair fanned out behind her for a moment. "I didn't see you there. Will you sit down with me?"

"Certainly." The owner of the voice sat down. "You're wondering how I'm able to do this, aren't you?" she asked kindly.

"Yeah, maybe a little."

"Well, there was a project that involved hologram projection, but it never worked and it was abandoned in its infancy. Most of the projection systems were removed, except here, and in the database room. The research shifted to holo-form technologies so that the people aboard Aurora-class vessels could communicate face to face. That was just before they left, hoping that either they would return, or that their inheritors would love this city the way they did. You know, originally it was Janus who was supposed to bond with me, but the evacuation interrupted many projects, several of which were placed on indefinite hold. That's why I was so happy when you arrived, you had nearly all of the genetic calling cards of Janus. Of course, later, after I'd had some time to better examine your DNA, I realized that there were differences, but I ignored them, having decided that the avian DNA did not rule you out."

Angel looked thoughtful as she chewed her sandwich. "So why is it then that I went to bed looking and feeling like a six year old, and now I look like I'm sixteen?"

"Aside from me, who's going to take a six year old seriously? Besides, I needed to stabilize your DNA so that your gift would not become a curse."

"The expiration dates."

"Yes. I also dealt with your winged friends. The eldest of them would have died four months from now had I done nothing."

Angel had finished her sandwich, and stood, looking out over the city. When she heard that Max and Fang could have died from their genetic coding unraveling, she ran over to where the holographic female representative of Atlantis stood, also looking over the city. The hologram found suddenly itself wrapped up in a hug.

"Thank you," Angel whispered.

"No problem."

Angel finally released her, and the hologram drew a breath as if Angel had been suffocating her.

"So what's next?" Angel asked.

The holoform smiled, and looked out over the city. "For now, nothing. The one called Woolsey has an investigation that he must conduct, and it will be a while before we can truly resume normal operations. For whatever reason, he seems to like living by all those rules, some of which don't even apply here." She fell silent.

The two ladies looked out over the city for three hours, not saying anything, when Angel spoke up.

"Did you hear about the new person that's supposed to be taking up residency here?"

"Yes, and I'm very interested in seeing what happens with him. The fact that Max doesn't know anything about him has me worried for you."

"Don't be worried," Angel said, holding the hologram's hand. "We know how to take care of ourselves."

"You do seem to be quite skilled at surviving." she replied. She stiffened; a look of alarm evident on her face. "I must go, someone approaches." She faded from view and Angel just looked out over the city, the wind tousling her hair somewhat.

A moment later, the door opened, and Max stepped out onto the balcony. "Hey Ange," Max said as the door closed behind her. "You seem different. Did you do something new with your hair?"

Angel giggled, and after a few moments, Max and Angel were both laughing at the joke.

They stopped laughing, and Max got up the nerve to ask what was really on her mind. "How is it that you look like a sixteen year old?"

"Atlantis changed me," Angel said simply.

Max did not relish the thought of the place she was living in rewriting her DNA or doing other things to her cellular structure.

"Atlantis didn't just change me, Max." Angel said, looking Max in the eye. "She changed everyone in the Flock."

Max's hand involuntarily went to her face before she even realized it.

"All she did was to correct the genetic instabilities that would have led to expiration." Angel clarified. "Well, she also accelerated my growth, obviously, but other than that, nothing."

Max relaxed somewhat after Angel said that. "Why _did_ she change you anyway?"

Angel noncommittally raised and lowered her shoulder. "She said that people wouldn't take an eight year old seriously."

Max's eyebrows rose and fell just as quickly, a sign that she saw Atlantis' point. "I think I can understand her point of view," she said.

"Hey!" Angel responded indignantly.

Max grinned. "Aside from Atlantis, and us, who would take you seriously as an eight year old?"

"Atlantis said much the same thing." Angel replied quietly. She looked up suddenly, as if she were looking for something.

"What is it, Ange?" Max asked, concerned.

"The new one is here. We should go meet him." Angel replied. She turned and waved her hand over the door crystal. "Coming?"

Max raised an eyebrow, had Angel really asked and not just made it a near order? "Sure…"

_In the Gate Room:_

A young man, no more than twenty years of age stood at the minimum safe distance from the Stargate, his head bowed and his arms extended halfway out from his sides.

He was dressed in a black uniform that had red shoulders, with wings of gold pinned in place on the grey turtleneck underneath. His skin was of Caucasian descent, though well tanned. His face was sharp and thin, and his hair was mussed in a style similar to Sheppard, though his hair was a dusty brown instead of black.

After a few moments, he raised his head, and looked around. Seeing that he was actually on Atlantis, he bounded up the stairs, and looked into the office. Seeing Dr. Wier there, he tapped on the pane of glass that served as the door.

"Come in," came the muffled voice.

The door panel slid away, and Ajax walked in.

"Please, have a seat." Dr Wier said, putting her computer on the recharger. "I understand you know about Max and her family?"

"That is correct." the youth replied. "My name is Ajax, and you, I assume, are Dr. Wier?"

She did not look surprised that he knew her name, and continued on. "Are you here to stay?"

"No, I should be leaving within a few days." Ajax replied. "I'll do my best not to get underfoot in the meantime."

"If you aren't staying, might I ask why you're here?"

Ajax thought about it for several seconds, then said, "Yeah, you might ask why I'm here. And if you do, I might answer." He seemed pleased with himself somehow, almost like when John had the diplomat over a barrel and knew it.

"Why are you here?" she asked directly.

Ajax carefully raised an eyebrow like he had seen a Vulcan do on _Voyager_. "I need to access Atlantis' database, I'm looking for something on behalf of Dr. Samantha Carter." _Not a lie,_ Ajax thought. _It will involve her expertise eventually, just not as directly as I'd like Wier to believe._

"Very well," Elizabeth said, inclining her head. She returned to her tablet in a clear dismissal, and Ajax walked out of the small office just in time to see Max and a sixteen year old that looked vaguely like Angel entering the Gate Room.

Already feeling the awkwardness rising up inside, Ajax quickly walked down the staircase, and moved towards a door opposite the one he had seen Max and Angel use to enter the Gate Room.

The door closed as he approached it, and he looked for a mechanism to open it with. Seeing the crystal tray, Ajax slid his hand along the tray, and the crystals went dark in response. He stepped back slightly, waiting for the door to open, but it remained closed. Max and Angel still approached.

"So," Angel stated, "you're the one who knows about us."

"Yeah…"Ajax replied, still looking for an escape. "About that…I remember rescuing the Flock from certain death in Death Valley."

"And yet I've never seen you before in my life," Max countered, hand on her hips. "Care to try again?"

"Different reality…" Ajax sighed. "Look, this is really, _unspeakably _awkward for me, seeing as how the Flock is still on the ship, and you're here. Though I don't think I know your friend." Ajax blurted to Max.

"My 'friend' is Angel." Max hissed, incensed.

"Oh. My apologies." Ajax replied. To Angel he said, "Did you do something with your hair?" When all he got was a stare, he said "Look, I'm on a time-sensitive mission, so it was really nice chatting with you and all, but I got to go." Ajax dodged around Max, who looked offended that Ajax had had the gall to blow them off like that, and tried the other door. The tray likewise powered down, and Max heard Ajax mutter something about "…Windows crap, always freezing up or buffering."

Angel looked positively incensed at that, and was walking towards Ajax, Atlantis influencing her actions.

On the other side of the door, Sheppard tried to open the door, and found that it seemed to be locked. McKay wasted no time in prying the cover off and swapping crystals around to override the lockout. It worked, and the doors opened to reveal Ajax, still waiting for the door top open.

"Thanks for getting the door to work!" Ajax said hurriedly. "Igottagobye!" With that, he pushed past the surprised adults, and ran down the hallway.

"Angel?" Sheppard asked. "Do you know anything about what just happened there?"

"I locked the doors because I wanted to talk to him. In response to the door being locked, he made a comment about how this city was like Windows, freezing or buffering. I was about to deal with the situation when McKay hacked into the controls."

"Speaking of…McKay, didn't that guy's clothing look like they were from somewhere kinda familiar?" Sheppard asked.

"You're right, it did looked familiar!" McKay sniffed. "It was a Starfleet uniform, Voyager and early DS9. Wait a minute; he was wearing a Starfleet uniform!" McKay started to head back in the direction he had seen Ajax run off to.

Ajax made it to the teaching room without incident, having memorized the layout of Atlantis based on some schematics they had at the SGC.

"Welcome. You may enter your inquiry verbally, or by using the console before you," the hologram said, shortly after appearing.

"List of locations for the Infinatus," Ajax stated.

"Three fragments are located in the Star Trek universe, one fragment in the Fullmetal Alchemist universe, one in the Maximum Ride universe, one in the Halo universe, seventeen in the Warhammer 40k universe, one in the Temeraire universe, one in the Avatar universe, and three in the Harry Potter universe. There are an additional twelve fragments, whose locations I am not permitted to give."

"One more question." Ajax said, hoping to test this computer's abilities. "Is it possible for me to win at Mahjong Titans?"

The hologram was still for a long moment, then looked directly at Ajax. "The way you play, only by getting lucky."

"Well," Ajax said, heaving a sigh, "you've been a great help. Thanks." he stepped off the platform and the hologram disappeared with a smirk as Ajax left the room.

The door closed behind Ajax, and he stowed his small spiral-bound notepad before looking up, and there was Angel, still looking pissed. McKay was standing next to her, looked exceptionally curious.

"Do not compare this city to a severely flawed operating system," Angel said evenly. "I won't tolerate it."

"You're right," Ajax said, "I was wrong, and I'm sorry. I'm just in something of a hurry, and your presence here makes things…awkward. That's why I was trying to evade you and Max."

"Why would it be awkward?" Angel asked, not probing his mind.

"Because I come from a different reality, and I had rescued your family in an alternate reality. You had been left in cages to die in Death Valley, so I brought you aboard my ship, and gave everyone positions suited to their individual skills. The Gasman makes a darn good tactical officer, and handles the guns far better than anyone else ever did. Iggy is the Chief Medical Officer, and Nudge is doing even better than I predicted as the Chief Engineer."

"And what position do I fill?" Max queried.

"First officer. Fang is the tactical analysis officer, essentially, the tactician of the ship," Ajax replied.

"And we all wear those uniforms?" Max's tone betrayed her disbelief, and after a moment, she cracked up. "I just can't see that happening."

"Actually, yes, the Flock does wear this style of uniform," Ajax replied. "Nudge did make some…modifications to it of course, but for the most part, everybody wears a uniform similar to mine."

"And the wings?" Max asked, deadpan.

"The grey turtleneck underneath was cut to allow for wings, and the jacket remains uncut so as to hide the wings when necessary, as well as furnish a professional look."

At that point, Angel joined Max in laughing uncontrollably at the idea of a professional look.

Ajax just heaved a long-suffering sigh, and walked out to the _Daedalus _to assist in the unloading.

When the _Daedalus _left Atlantis, Ajax was aboard with Woolsey, playing chess, the information he had requested sitting in his pocket for safekeeping.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

_The Layman here, with a very necessary Author's note that should clear up any confusion about this chapter. You see, I've pretty much given this story completely over Sir Hideout Writer, and as such he has decided to briefly include his OC, Ajax. For more on Ajax, please refer to HW's story "The Infinatus". _

_In closing, here are some review responses from Sir Hideout himself._

_GallifreyanGhostGirl: Rodney deserves everything that he gets._

_iNSOMNIAC-rEADER-2014: I do a gravity test every morning upon waking up. If gravity isn't working, I go back to sleep for another few hours until the gravity starts working again!_

_XxHisLilLoverGirlxX: I just did._


	13. Chapter 12

_Well, here it is, the next installment of Angels on Atlantis. I got the idea from one of the episodes right after Woolsey took command of the Atlantis expedition from Carter._

__/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_

The teams living on Atlantis swiftly became a thorn in the Wraith side, especially with Max's team, and Sheppard's team.

The routine was simple: gate in, blow up any Wraith outposts found, and gate back home. Things ran this way for roughly three months when Max and her team happened upon a lush, verdant world, seemingly untouched by the Wraith and their horrors.

The team spread out, hampered by the underbrush, looking for any indications of Wraith presence. Finding nothing, they decided to return to the gate.

Angel had just cleared the edge of the forest when she heard the signature whine of a Wraith Dart approaching.

"Wraith Dart, incoming!" she yelled into her radio.

Hearing it still coming, she made a dash for the gate, not wanting to get caught by the approaching Dart. She was halfway across the field when the Dart's culling beam was engaged, and it touched her, storing her as an energy pattern in the buffer. The moment she was stored, the beam was switched off, and the Dart dialed a Stargate address.

They were gone before Max could do anything to stop them.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

When Angel awoke from the stun effect she found herself strapped against a wall with a membrane across her front, holding her in place. She didn't recognize where she was, but she could tell she was in a lab of some sort.

It was all she could do to not loose it then and there.

A Wraith commander walked past, then he came back, stopping in front of Angel.

"The queen has ordered me to tell you why you are still alive," he hissed. Angel fought to suppress a shudder. "We are developing new ways of creating our ships."

"What sort of new ways?" Angel asked politely. In truth, their very presence made her skin crawl. It didn't help that she could sometimes catch glimpses of their thoughts.

It wasn't pleasant.

"We intend to start with an existing frame," the commander said. He withdrew a small knife, and Angel cringed back as far as she could. Fortunately the commander just slashed away the membrane holding her to the wall.

Angel gratefully stepped away from the wall, brushing herself off.

"Come," the commander stated imperiously; it was not an order to be refused, and Angel complied, trying to figure out what they meant about the 'existing frame' part.

They entered a room with several guards, and the commander huffed as soon as the door had closed. The guards in the room grabbed Angel and roughly placed her face-down on an operating table, kicking and sceaming. The commanded beckoned towards another Wraith in the room, who proceeded strap Angel to the table, then flipped it over, and then attempted to force Angel to drink a glowing liquid.

"Drink it," the commander ordered, "or I'll feed on you." Angel locked her jaw in defiance.

_"You have decided that I am not a viable subject for this, and will return me to the world you found me on," _she ordered mentally.

The scientist blinked, then held the flask to her lips. "Drink," he said gently.

The commander moved forward, holding out his hand. With a sudden jerking motion, he brought his hand down onto Angel's chest, and fed deeply. After several moments, Angel was close to death. The commander then reversed the flow, giving back everything he had just taken.

_"__Now drink!"_ he ordered.

Angel grimaced but did as ordered, ingesting the entire flask of glowing fluid. The guards then undid the straps restraining her and carried her into a cell, where they left her body to process what had been ingested.

She quickly fell asleep, one of the side effects of the formula. As she slept, her skin began turning green, and plantlike tendrils began growing from her arms and legs.

Four hours after she had been placed in the cell, a pair of guards opened the cell, and forced Angel to her feet, waking her up in the process.

"Where are we going?" she asked, confused. "What's going on?"

The Wraith didn't answer, just roughly helped her along to the Dart bay where the scientist was waiting with an organic power cell.

Some sort of new instinct in her caused the tendrils to reach out to the power cell, snatching it away from the scientist, who had surrendered it easily, knowing what was likely to happen.

He then huffed, and the guards moved her towards a special airlock that had been grown for this purpose. He shoved three more power cells into the airlock with Angel, then closed the inner doors, and opened the outer ones just a crack to release the air before opening the doors all the way. Angel swiftly returned to unconsciousness in the vast coldness of space as the inner door was opened slightly, pushing her out and away from the cruiser she was aboard.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

"Report on your experiment," the queen ordered silkily.

"The effects of the formula are promising," the scientist hissed. "Enough had been grown within the space of four hours that it's continued growth would have threatened this vessel."

"So what have you done to remedy the situation?" the queen asked, gliding closer.

"I surrendered four power cells to speed the growth, and as I had suspected, it assimilated them quite greedily. I then ejected it into space to allow it to finish it's growth without being a threat to this vessel," the scientist replied smugly. "We can continue to monitor the progress with the sensors or the smaller vessels."

"How large will it become?" the queen asked eagerly, her cool exterior slipping.

"I…do not know," the scientist replied, "Though I suspect it may surpass the size of this vessel."

"Excellent..." the queen hissed sibilantly. "You have done well; you may take two of our food supply for your nourishment."

The scientist bowed, then left to retrieve his next meal.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Out in space, the tendrils covering Angel swiftly adapted to the rigors of space, hardening into a space-worthy carapace, though continuing to grow with the power gained from the four power cells they had been given.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

The first two weeks after Angel had been taken were very painful for Wraith factions with equipment on the ground. Raids were run in which Max and her team would thoroughly search the building, then destroy it if Angel wasn't there.

It was not to last, however, as Max began to get discouraged, wondering if she was even alive any more. Atlantis slipped into a depression, forcing Sheppard to stay in the city for the sake of everyone else getting stuff done.

By the fourth week, Max had almost stopped eating, and rarely left her room.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

It had been two months since Angel had been taken, and the growth had been considerable. She now had sublight and hyperspace engines, and had used her new mobility to move in closer to the star that the other cruiser was orbiting. The warmth and light had served to accelerate the growth somewhat, and she found herself regularly correcting for a larger mass. Only a month previous, a Wraith transport vessel had attempted to board her, but the queen's influence was not enough to make Angel open the doors to her hangar bays.

The growth was complete. Angel was now a fully functioning Hive ship. Had she still been human, she would have taken a deep breath to steady herself, but there was no air in space, and she wasn't human anymore.

Her portside plasma cannons powered up and fired a salvo without warning, destroying the cruiser before they had a chance to get away.

With that done, there was nothing left to do except charge her hyperdrive and jump to Atlantis.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

"Dr. Wier, we have Wraith Hive ship on long range sensors, heading straight for us!" Chuck said.

"A Hive ship? Are you sure?" she asked. It would not do to be panicked over something that wasn't there.

"Not completely," Chuck admitted, "I'm still working on getting the hang of reading these images."

"I understand. Rodney?" she called into her radio.

_"__What is it, Elizabeth?"_ Rodney asked, _"I'm quite busy at the moment."_

"You might want to get up here..." Dr. Wier replied. "We think there's a Hive ship on long-range sensors, heading straight for us."

_"__You think?"_ Rodney repeated.

Dr. Wier smiled slightly on her end of the radio, sensing that Rodney was about to get started on a rant.

"Chuck is still learning, Rodney. Cut him some slack."

_"__I'll be up in a few minutes."_ McKay replied, then cut the link.

Four minutes later, McKay walked into the Gate room and up the steps. "What do you have?" he asked tiredly.

The gate technician pointed toward the vague shape on the sensor screen.

"Yes, that's a Wraith Hive. I'll go down to the Chair and let Sheppard know."

"McKay?" Dr. Wier asked.

The scientist stopped short and looked back at the civilian leader.

"See if Sheppard would be willing to convince Atlantis to let him out of the Chair without shutting down."

McKay nodded. "Sure thing."

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Bloodangel winced as she departed hyperspace, the radiation wasn't good for her outer skin, and once it got to a certain point, she had to drop out to repair the damage. There was some good in all of this though, as she was moving at one-quarter sublight towards Lantia, starting at the edge of the system.

Sometime during her hyperspace jump, she had changed her name from Angel to Bloodangel, seeing as how she really wasn't the same person who had been forced to drink the fluorescent formula in the belly of a Wraith cruiser.

Her connection with Atlantis was still there, and she began seeking out the ancient city's signal as she slowly moved through the darkness of space.

After a particularly intense round of scans, Bloodangel found Atlantis' signal, steadily ebbing weaker. After a quick check, Bloodangel discovered that it was not due to a lack of power, nor was the city attempting to hide; she was mourning for Angel. The knowledge spurred Bloodangel to send full power into her engines, sliding through space at half the speed of light.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Four people with a sufficiently high ATA gene were sent out in Jumpers to investigate the approaching Hive while Sheppard remained restrained to the Chair by some sort of energy field that Atlantis was generating to hold him in place. Atlantis couldn't bear the thought of loosing him so soon after loosing Angel, and was determined to keep him close.

"Rodney?" Sheppard asked, unable to see the scientist.

"I'm here, John," Rodney said nervously.

"Oh, _come on,_" Sheppard said, "I'm not about to die or anything, but Atlantis won't let me go. I want you to tell Max and her friends that a Hive is on it's way."

"I doubt they'll take that news very well," Rodney muttered.

In truth everyone on the base, with the exception of Ronon, feared and respected the avians who had come to work with them. After Angel had been taken, Max alternated between depression and undirected rage; it was so bad that she had seemingly lost her aversion to weapons, maniacally firing into hordes of Wraith whenever she could. On the city, it was a fifty-fifty chance that Max would bite someone's head off if they even

twitched wrong; some people were even too scared to think too hard around her for fear she'd somehow hear them and lash out.

This was why Rodney was nervous.

The doorbell chimed in Max's quarters.

"Who is it?" Max asked listlessly.

"It's me, Rodney. Open up?" came the muffled voice.

With a sigh, Max opened the door. "What is it?"

"There's a Hive ship approaching," McKay said.

"OK, see ya!" Max said, shoving the scientist out of the way. She clicked her radio onto the channel that the Flock used. "Gear up!" she ordered "Hive ship approaching."

Within five minutes, they were running up the stairs for the Jumper bay. For some reason Iggy was the best pilot after Angel, the Jumper's sensor systems somehow being able to somewhat replace his sight; no one knew exactly why that was.

Pushing the small ship to it's limit the Jumper quickly overtook the other four that had been launched, as they weren't terribly interested in seeing combat action.

"Wimps..." Iggy muttered, shaking his head.

They cleared the atmosphere just as the Hive cut power to it's engines, and stopped in a high stationary orbit over Atlantis.

"Uh, Atlantis, this is Max. The Hive just stopped moving…how do we proceed?"

_"__What do you mean?" _Dr. Wier asked.

"How do we get on board the ship?"

McKay got on the line at that point. _"Do you see any open doors?"_

As if on cue, the main doors to the hangar bay opened, releasing a large cloud of gas.

"Yep, I think we just found our way in!" Max said cheerfully.

Iggy swung the Jumper around, heading for the now open doors, watching through the sensors to see what was going on.

"Um, whoever's controlling this hive doesn't seem to feel like fighting," Iggy announced.

"What do you mean?" Max asked.

"There's no power buildup to suggest that they're about to fire weapons, and I'm not seeing any Darts…at all!" Iggy replied. He gently landed the Jumper on the organic hangar deck, and powered down the Jumper as great clouds of stored atmosphere were vented into the massive room.

As soon as the door was open Max spilled out of the Jumper with the rest of the Flock and the fanned out somewhat, looking for any signs of danger.

The entire ship reverberated with one word. _"Welcome…"_

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

_Nobody left any reviews on the last chapter, so I don't feel like answering anybody! Questions? Comments? Leave a review, and I'll get back to you!_


	14. Chapter 13

_Well, that was a bit of a wait, but fortunately Hideout was able to scrape this one together in time for the holidays. Consider the exposition in here a little Christmas present for all the fans of this story. _

_Anywho, let's just see what happens next, shall we?_

__/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_

"…_welcome, Maxxximum Ride," _the ship hissed quietly.

Max shivered slightly. "Who's there?" she asked, weapon raised to the firing position. "How do you know my name?"

"_I was once known as Angel. Now you may call me the Bloodangel, for I have killed without remorse," _the ship replied.

"...Are you truly Angel?" Max asked hesitantly. "Say something that only Angel would have known."

The ship sighed, though it sounded to like Flock like a gas exchange somewhere deeper inside. "_Do you remember when we went to Hawaii, how we beat the others in the BS course? In covert operations, as I believe it was called, you and Nudge casually slipped through the glaring chinks in their security, while I merely manipulated the guards' minds. They never knew I was there. Fang used his stealth to slip through while Gazzy teamed up with Iggy and gassed the guards. We passed that course rather quickly if I recall correctly. So much trouble just to get aboard a submarine."_

"We did that so we could rescue my mom," Max defended.

"_And yet now it seems so insignificant to me…I remember that it was quiet important then, but now I wonder if I would step in and do the same today?"_

Max blinked, stunned. Hearing Angel, (rather, what was left of her), dismissing that mission rocked her to the core, and it was not the same kind as Fang would do to her. This hurt, and for several moments Max just stood there and didn't even say anything.

"_The only thing that seems important now is the safety of my family." _Bloodangel mused. Without further thought on the matter, she used her mental abilities, which had increased in power with her newfound size, and created an illusion in their minds, showing them Angel as she was before the Wraith had captured her. So strong was the illusion that it was as if they could touch her, and they would actually feel it.

When she appeared, Max did a double-take. "A…Angel?" she asked.

"MAX!" her voice rang out. Her voice resounded with joy at being reunited with her family, and she dashed toward the Flock.

Max enveloped her in a bear hug, holding her close for several seconds before finally letting go.

"What did they do to you, sweetie?" Max asked at last. "The ship was claiming that it was you."

"It does have all my memories," Angel said, "but it's not me. I can control the ship though, and I have something that I need to show you. Come on." So saying she walked out of the hangar. The others had stashed their weapons in the Jumper when Angel appeared, since the ship was empty.

They came to a room that was quite warm and had several tubes in the ceiling, large enough for one person to fit in.

"What is this place?" Nudge asked quietly. She had grown quiet ever since Angel's kidnapping, and even having been re-united with Angel hadn't completely snapped her out of it.

"It's a special control chamber," Angel lied, "They allow you to control the ship mentally, even if you have no true telepathic abilities. Just stand on one of these round platforms, and you'll be hooked up to the rest of the ship."

"I don't know Ange, it doesn't seem completely right." Max said, unconvinced.

"I just want to take the ship for a quick spin around the block," Angel said, convincingly, "You know, just to show you what the ship is like."

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Meanwhile, in the hangar bay, the doors opened to admit Sheppard and his team in Jumper Seven. Bloodangel had been broadcasting a signal exactly like Angel had done after being bonded with Atlantis, which caused Atlantis to very abruptly shut off the shield holding Sheppard in place. The entire city seemed to be singing, which meant that Sheppard was going to go investigate the Hive ship in orbit.

The doors closed behind the Jumper, while lights came on in the hangar bay and fresh atmosphere was pumped in.

"Why do I feel like we're getting a rather warm welcome?" Sheppard asked uneasily.

"I do not know..." Teyla answered. "Perhaps a thorough investigation will yield the answer to your question."

The Jumper settled before powering down.

"That's odd," Sheppard said, looking at the Heads-Up.

"What is it?" McKay asked, all business.

"The Jumper is being charged up by the Hive ship," Sheppard said, wonder seeping into his voice. "So far, that's three very strange things I've noticed since this ship arrived in orbit."

After several seconds of deliberation, he popped the hatch open and walked out. The rest of the team followed, cautiously looking around.

"This way," Sheppard said, "The others went this way."

The team walked to the door, and Sheppard noticed a protrusion from the wall, similar to the 'doorknob' crystals on Atlantis. "McKay, doesn't that look-"

"Like the crystals on Atlantis? Yes. As far as I know, that's not standard on Wraith ships," McKay replied. He looked at the readings from his tablet, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Well I'm going to try it," Sheppard said. He waved his hand across the nodes, but nothing happened. "Maybe Teyla should try?" he said on a hunch.

"You believe that the Wraith DNA will grant access," Teyla realized.

"It might," John conceded.

Teyla thought about it for a moment, then waved her hand across the nodes. A red light turned green, and the door opened.

They were walking down a hallway, and stopped when McKay made his announcement.

"Interesting…" he said out of nowhere.

"What's interesting, McKay?" Ronon grunted.

"This ship. There are certain genetic markers that make it look like…" the realization dawned on him. "Oh, no. Oh, no. No, this can't be happening."

"What is it?" Sheppard asked, impatient.

"This ship is...or rather _was_…Angel." McKay said hoarsely.

"Are you saying that the Wraith have devised a way to take people and turn them into vessels for their own use?" Teyla asked, horrified.

"It would look that way, but I doubt that they have the ability to do it at a large-scale level yet. This is the first time that we've ever been on a Wraith vessel that had such a large quantity of human DNA markers in it before," McKay said. "My guess is that a fringe faction came up with it, and they probably won't be doing it again."

"Why not again?" Ronon asked.

"Because if a brand-new ship is just going to leave without them, they won't risk it happening again. If opposing factions get the ship instead, they'd have just given their enemies another ship," Sheppard answered, realizing the implications. "Let's go meet up with Max, and tell her what we found out."

The team continued on.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Meanwhile, Angel was trying to get the rest of the Flock to stand on the circular platforms.

"It's perfectly safe," she insisted, "let me show you." She stood on one of the platforms, and a pole quickly grew up from the platform along her back, before branching out to form a slightly curved support wall. Her eyes closed, and she swayed slightly, falling back on the support wall as small air sacs inflated to cushion her body against the bony structure of the support frame. After several seconds, she opened her eyes and straightened up before walking off of the platform again. The support structure quickly disappeared, leaving just the circle in the floor as it was before.

The door opened to admit Sheppard and his team just as Max and the others hesitantly stepped onto the platforms. The support structures quickly grew up, and Angel sent them a telepathic wave that was so strong that they closed their eyes, falling backwards ever so slightly onto the waiting support structures.

Because Angel wasn't visible to Sheppard and his team, all the saw was the Flock stepping up onto circular platforms that quickly grew support structures to hold them up as they swayed backward.

They shared a concerned glance before entering the room to see what was happening.

"_I'm sorry for lying to you." _Angel whispered in Max's ear. _"I had to do it to keep you safe."_

Max's eyes opened wide at what Angel had just said, but it was too late. The support structure grew around her, holding her in place, binding her arms and legs into position before the entire platform moved up into the tube. There was a hiss as some sort of gas was pumped into the small chamber, and Max's struggles against her restraints grew weaker and weaker, until she passed into the blissful land of the unconscious.

"Whatever's going on, I don't think that was good," Sheppard said.

The door closed suddenly, locking itself.

Angel manifested herself in their minds, in front of the door.

"Angel?" McKay asked disbelievingly.

"Sort of," she answered. She gestured and several comfortable chairs were grown out of the floor. "Sit. I promise I will not do to you what I have done to them."

After several moments, Ronon sat down. Nothing happened. The rest of the team sat, cautiously. The same result happened to them as Ronon had experienced. Namely, nothing. Angel sat in a chair across from them.

"This manifestation of me is all this is left of what you knew as Angel," she explained. "Two months ago I was taken by the Wraith, where they forced me to drink an experimental liquid. The formula quickly caused my body to mutate into the ship you are now inside."

"That explains the DNA markers," McKay whispered to John.

"Heard that," Angel said, snapping her fingers to get their attention. "I'm in your mind."

"Then why create such an elaborate illusion for us to see?" Teyla asked.

"Because I want to at least appear to have some semblance of normal conversation," Angel replied. "Now, back to the topic at hand. As I was growing, a Wraith queen from the nearby cruiser tried to access my hangar portal. My mental abilities have grown with my size, and as such I was easily able to deny access to her. When my growth was complete, I destroyed the cruiser whose scientists had created the formula, then set course for where I had last known Atlantis to be. Upon arrival, I opened my doors so that the rest of my family could enter. You, Sheppard, and the rest of your team were granted access solely because Teyla carries Wraith DNA in her genetic structure."

"So what are you doing to the Flock?" Teyla asked. "Max did not appear as though she desired what was happening."

"Claustrophobia," Angel said dismissively, "I need to adapt their genetic structure so that they can use my equipment." An odd look crossed her face as she said that. "It's not a wrong as it sounds," she said at last, "so wipe the smirk off your face." This last was directed at Sheppard, who had been grinning like a loon. The smirk vanished.

"If I did not adapt their structure, I would need to devote my attention to allowing access whenever somebody wanted to go through a door, as well as maintaining my systems, controlling movement, firing weapons as needed…surely you understand."

"I think I understand..." McKay said.

Angel cut him off. "You do understand, McKay, more than you think. I am giving the gene-therapy to my family by force, I know they will understand when I'm done, but for everyone else, it will be a choice, made both whoever is receiving the gene-therapy, as well as myself. There are some I will deny, for reasons of my own. Now, I am willing to give you the therapy if you want it, but you'll have to wait until Max and the others are done. What it comes down to is this: would you like to be able to move freely through this ship while in a combat situation, or not?"

McKay's natural curiosity got the better of him as he said "I'm in."

"Are you sure you're not influencing him to say that?" Sheppard asked, eyes narrowed.

"Yes," Angel replied. "The choice is yours to make, I will not make it for you."

Ronon looked at Angel, with an intense, burning hatred in his eyes. A lesser person would have quailed at the intensity of his gaze, but Angel met his gaze with open blue eyes.

"Do you swear to never ally yourself with the Wraith and betray us?" he asked.

"Chewie…" John said warningly. Ronon didn't back down.

"I swear by my life that I will never betray you to the Wraith, or anyone living on Atlantis. As for alliances…I can make no promise, but they will not be able to obtain useful information from me without having the advice of Sheppard to back me up. Will that suffice?" Angel asked, leaning back in her chair.

"It will," Ronon said, "but I have another question."

"No, you will not be turned into a Wraith. You will be able to sense other Wraith, which can become a powerful advantage, and you will gain a fraction of their healing and strength properties, but it will not alter your appearance. Though I would like to leave a visual mark on your body."

"A...visual mark?" McKay asked, slightly nervous.

"To put it in Earth terms, a tattoo," Angel replied. "A mark that lets everyone know that you are part of an elite group."

"I don't think I'd mind that," Ronon said, smirking slightly as he reclined. "Count me in."

"What the heck," Sheppard said at last, "sure, I'll do it."

"I understand that not everyone on Atlantis who has the gene of the Ancestors is able to use their technology as easily as others. Is the amount of Wraith DNA that I carry enough to control this vessel?" Teyla asked.

"No," Angel replied, "You only have enough to open doors and manipulate computers, and even that is a bit tenuous. If you were to attempt to fly this Hive, you would not last for an hour before needing food and rest. I can strengthen the amount that you have, if you wish." As she finished speaking, Angel stood up, and the growth that had formed into a chair returned to being regular decking.

"The process is nearly complete," she announced.

Above them, the capsules holding Max and the other Flock members hissed as gases were exchanged. "As soon as the platforms are available, you may step on them, and the process will begin. You will not be harmed in any way, and it makes the process easier. I recommend relaxing."

"If I'm relaxed, is it still going to cage me like it did to the others?" Ronon asked.

"No, it's purpose is support; I did not want my family to get hurt attempting to escape. The ceiling is rather high, and the gas used to sedate can make people somewhat impaired before they go completely unconscious. I didn't want them punching through and then forgetting how to fly," Angel explained. She gestured at an area of empty space, and steel-strong supports grew over the area, before a much more flexible membrane grew in some of the spaces created by the steel web. "When the process is complete, you will need some time to recover, so I have created several recovery beds for you. You will not need to worry about getting to them, I'll arrange that, but I thought you might like to know."

"What is the stuff that grew between the bars?" Sheppard asked.

"It is a membrane with the same strength and flexibility of an Earth trampoline, but as soft as a feather bed," Angel answered. "Go ahead, touch it." A catwalk formed, creating a viable place to walk. In his curiosity, John walked over and gingerly reached towards one of the membranes. To his surprise, it was very soft and springy. With a grin, he took off his shoes, and jumped onto it. The membrane allowed for six feet of travel before flinging Sheppard back up into the air. After successfully negotiating a landing, the grinning Lieutenant Colonel Sheppard put his boots back on.

"I used to bounce on my bed all the time when I was kid," he said wistfully. "My mom hated it…" he was distracted with the radio crackling.

"Sheppard come in," Dr. Wier's voice ordered.

"We are inside," Sheppard said, grinning.

"That's not what I meant, John…"

"The ship is Angel," Sheppard said, becoming serious. "The Wraith performed some sort of experiment on her that turned her into a Hive ship."

"Is she friendly?" Dr. Wier asked, concerned.

"Has been so far," John replied. "She destroyed the Wraith scientists who created her, so I doubt that the Wraith will be doing any sort of experiments like this in the future."

"Well, I'd like you to come back to Atlantis for now, I don't think we are really ready to explore a Hive ship just yet," Dr. Wier ordered.

Having read Sheppard's thoughts, Angel knew that he didn't want to return to Atlantis just yet. He wanted to get the gene-therapy over and done with, and so she quickly secured Teyla, Ronon and McKay to their chairs, and grew restraints from the deck to force Sheppard to remain where he was.

"Ah, no can do," Sheppard said, barely restraining a smile, "Angel seems to think we aren't done catching up yet, and is currently holding us captive."

The team knew from Angel's mischievous smile that no harm would come to them, she was just making sure that Dr. Wier couldn't order them to return until after the gene-therapy was complete.

"Understood, check back in every fifteen minutes. Wier out."

Just as Dr. Wier finished speaking, the restraints disappeared, allowing the team freedom of movement again. A set of rails formed, in front of the row of pillars, and five beds were brought up to the rail before being guided to a position in front of each pillar.

The chambers shut down, and the platforms descended back to deck level before canting forward, tipping the Flock members off of the platforms and onto the beds, which were rolled back to their original position before snapping into the steel web grid again.

Angel nodded towards the team members as the rails sank into the deck, allowing easy access to the platforms.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

_Answers to Readers:_

_Forsaken By All: The style changes from story to story, though I've tried to stay consistent. It happens. As for Angel, she's not a Super-Hive, seeing as how a Super-Hive has a ZPM to power it, and Angel does not. Ajax showing up in this story was a very brief incident, and will not happen again in this story. Thank you for your understanding._

_Brian01: Done. Next?_

_And now for any other comments The Layman may have!_

_Not many, just Happy Chirsmahanalwanzaka to everyone out there in Reader Land! Here's hoping no one gets burried under a mountain of snow this year!_


	15. Chapter 14

_Look at that; another chapter! Wow, Hideout must be feeling generous this month. Hope y'all like it!_

The team stepped up onto the circles in the deck, and the support wall quickly formed at their back. As it had done with the Flock, several air sacs inflated at key points to protect the people leaning against them from the hardened structure of the support.

The platforms didn't rise.

"You should probably remove your gear, such as radios and guns," Angel suggested, "I doubt the environment in the gene-therapy chambers would have beneficial effects on your equipment." The others saw the wisdom in her words, and removed their gear, stepping back onto the platforms when they had finished.

The pillars rose smoothly into the tubes above, and the sedative agent was released into the occupied chambers.

Angel stopped projecting to them and created a table for their gear to rest on so it was off the ground. That done she projected herself into Atlantis' gate room, where she promptly walked up the flight of stairs, then into Dr. Wier's office.

"Angel?" Dr. Wier asked hesitantly. "John told me you were the Hive ship in orbit."

"And he was right," Angel confirmed, "He's not going to be in radio contact for at least another twenty minutes."

"Why not?" Dr Wier asked.

"Because he's unconscious right now." At Dr. Wier's concerned look, her held up her hand to stop Dr. Wier, "Don't worry, he's safe, I've seen to that. The ship that I have become has incorporated certain design ideas taken from this city, such as genetic access. I'm sure you remember that Teyla Emmagen has a tiny amount of Wraith DNA in her cellar structure?" At Dr. Wier's nod, Angel continued, "Because of that trace amount of DNA, she was able to open doors that would have been closed to her, as I was preoccupied with other, more important matters. Still, the amount she had was not enough, and after thoroughly explaining my offer, Sheppard and his team have agreed to undergo a gene therapy that I have worked up specifically for this purpose."

"What will this gene therapy do to them?" Dr. Wier asked, concerned.

"Aside from allowing access to my systems, it may affect their stamina, life expectancy, sheer strength, as well as allow them to sense Wraith equipment and personnel," Angel replied. "Don't worry, it's not enough that they'll start feeding on the people of Atlantis. I am willing to offer the gene therapy to most of the personnel stationed here on Atlantis, though there may be some who want it that will not get it."

"Why not?" Dr. Wier asked.

"Because I may decide that there are certain people who would be unfit for this. I will vet everyone here on Atlantis, and if I find them worthy, offer them the chance. From there, it is their choice to make."

"And how will we know who has had the therapy and who hasn't?" Dr. Wier asked.

"I will leave a mark on them, a tattoo, as a visual sign to all around them that they are a privileged group.," Angel replied. "Would you like to have the therapy?"

"In all honesty Angel, I don't really leave Atlantis all that much, so I can't really see a viable use for it as far as I'm concerned. Thank you for the offer though."

"Next time you go off-world, trust Sheppard if he says the Wraith are coming. Don't even bother asking how he knows, just go with it. He will be able to sense the Wraith, and dispel their mental projections," Angel said. She appeared to check a watch. "I estimate that you will re-establish radio contact with one John Sheppard in about ten minutes. Now," she said, standing up to leave, "unless you have anything else, I have the population of Atlantis to vet, as well as some explaining to do to Atlantis."

At Dr. Wier's shake of the head, Angel left the office, not bothering to open the door as she left. She was projecting the illusion to everyone who would have been able to see her had she actually been there in person, but Atlantis was a bit of a harder thing to deal with. Her computers couldn't be fooled the same way a human brain could be fooled, and Angel realized she would need a liaison in order to be able to talk with Atlantis. With that realization she headed to the infirmary, where Carson Beckett was just cleaning up in preparation to leave for the day.

"Angel!" he exclaimed, seeing her walk in. "What happened to ye? Where have ye been these past two months?"

"It's a little hard to explain...," Angel warned, "but the long story short is that the Wraith kidnapped me and turned me into a Hive ship. I'm not really here, just projecting a really convincing illusion from orbit."

"They turned you into a ship?" Carson asked incredulously. "Then why project an illusion to us common folk?"

"Because I want to have some semblance of normal conversation with people," Angel explained. "Also, I need your help."

"My help?" Carson asked. "Whatever for?"

"I can make you think that I'm standing here talking to you, and I can even make you think that I'm solid," to prove her point, Angel touched Carson's hand, "but I can't do that to Atlantis. Her computers are too complex for me to mind trick my way through, so I need you to serve as a liaison so she can see me."

"Why me?" Carson asked, sitting down at his workstation.

"Because you have the highest ATA gene of anybody on the city right now, Sheppard is still aboard the ship, where I am re-writing his DNA."

"Ye can't just re-write someone's DNA, lass!" Carson exploded.

"You did it to Rodney McKay," Angel pointed out. "Sheppard won't be changed very much, just some performance upgrades as well as a tattoo."

"Performance upgrades?"

"He will be able to run faster, fight harder and stronger, be able to detect Wraith, not to mention use my systems," Angel said. "I will need a small crew at least if I'm going to do battle with the Wraith on anything more than a very infrequent basis. Now come on." She started to walk out of the sickbay, but Beckett didn't follow her. After several moments, she returned to where he was sitting, and touched her index finger to his temple. _"You will follow me..." _she commanded.

"Of course, lassie," Beckett said, standing up, "where to?"

"The nearest transporter," she said, walking out. Beckett followed like a well-trained dog on a leash.

When they entered the small room, Angel guided Beckett's finger to a specific point, whereupon the doors closed before opening to a small balcony not far from the mess hall.

Once the door closed, Angel took control of Carson, making him call out into thin air, "Atlantis? Are ye there?"

The holoform shimmered into existence. "Carson?" she said, obviously puzzled. "What's going on?"

"Angel wanted to speak with ye," he said, "but said she couldn't manipulate your computers like our brains. She said you'll need to see through my eyes to be able to see her."

The holoform appeared to concentrate for several seconds, then straightened, "Angel, what's going on?"

Realizing that Atlantis was now tapped into Carson's senses, she began speaking. "Two months ago, the Wraith took me."

"Yes, I remember that, but what's going on now? What have they done to you?" Atlantis asked through Carson.

"They turned me into a Hive ship. That's why my signal is still in orbit," Angel explained. "I killed the ones who did this to me, but I'm afraid the changes may be permanent."

"Why is Sheppard unconscious?"

"Because I'm giving him the genetic markers required to have as much operational ability inside my halls as he has here. I gave him the option, but did not force the change upon him. He will not be altered enough to cause significant changes in his physiology, but he will be able to operate everything-even my flight controls."

"A jack-of-all genetics," Atlantis said, smiling. "Very clever."

"During my growth, the queen aboard the cruiser from which I was launched attempted to gain access. She failed, and when I was complete I destroyed her and her ship for their insolence. I will not have them aboard, not after what they have done to this galaxy," Angel said. "But in order to continue with the destruction of their race, I will need a crew. I'm in the process of vetting everyone within your halls so that I may offer a select group of individuals the opportunity to have the genetic therapy."

"We need a better way of communicating," Atlantis said, "because if I keep this up, I will irrevocably damage the soul occupying this body. Talk with Sheppard about the Replicator labs in my halls, I think we could give you a Replicator injection that would allow you to communicate more freely than this crude method."

"Agreed," Angel said, nodding. "I'll be going, Sheppard is nearly finished." As she finished speaking, she seemed to simply fade into nothing, leaving no trace.

Atlantis quickly pulled herself out of Carson's mind, so as to not leave any more trauma than necessary. The kindly Scottish doctor sagged sideways slightly before grasping the railing. It took him several moments to recover, while Atlantis stayed nearby out of concern. After about two minutes, he was well enough to get down to the mess hall for a quick dinner before heading to bed.

Aboard the Hive, Sheppard and his team-mates were falling onto their individual beds as the gene-therapy equipment shut down.

Angel projected her illusion into the minds of everyone in the room, and sat down on a lounge recliner to wait for her family to wake up.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

About three minutes later, Max woke up with a groan. "I hiz bizzle..." she said intelligently, as her mind fought of the lingering effects of the sedative. Realization of her surroundings flooded into her brain, and she was instantly wide awake, the drug being pushed aside by a quick infusion of adrenaline.

"Sit-rep!" she called out.

"Here," Angel said in a bored voice. "Everybody else is still asleep."

The memories of what had happened returned, and Max got up from her bed before walking over to Angel.

Angel merely waved towards an empty section of deck, where a chair quickly grew up. "Sit down," she said gently. "I know you're angry with me, but try to understand, I'm doing what I feel is best for the safety of those I hold dear. I am not the Angel you knew anymore. I am something…more than that. I am the ship, just projected in an illusion in your mind."

"You betrayed my trust," Max said, "Why should I trust you now?"

"Do you know what happens in those chambers?" Angel asked, pointing upwards.

"No…"

"I altered your genetic structure, giving you even more speed, strength, agility…the whole nine, in addition to gaining the ability to sense when the Wraith are coming and the ability to use the controls of this ship. I gave you enough Wraith genes to be able to fly me without tiring quickly, because changed or not, I still need you."

Max blinked, once again stunned. "You…need me?" she asked.

Angel nodded. "You're the key, Max. You and the others I intend to bring aboard. We need to be able to strike at the Wraith, harder than has ever been done before, or they will end the galaxy and move to the Milky

Way. I cannot allow that," she said quietly. "I should have just told you straight up, but I was concerned that you would want nothing to do with the idea, and I didn't want you to say no."

"Oh, Angel..." Max said quietly. She was close to tears. "You have always been, and always will be, my Angel. You could have just explained and I would have understood."

"Really?" Angel asked.

"Really," Max assured her. The two hugged, then broke apart as the other Flock members began to wake up.

"The good news is that you won't ever have to do that again, unless you're really cut up to the point that conventional medicine can't heal you," Angel said brightly, seeming to get over her sadness.

"That's good," Max said, "I don't think it's an experience I'd like to repeat just yet."

"What Mac truck my brain did hit?" Nudge asked, her voice thick and slurred by the sedative agent.

"Truck Number 42," Angel told her. "But I got the plate, so we'll sue, and seek possession of Robert Pattison as punitive damages."

"Really?" Nudge asked, seeming to brighten up.

"Don't encourage her..." Max groaned. After a moment of thinking about though, she decided to help Fang wake up in her own special way.

Angel looked towards Nudge and shrugged with a 'what are you gonna do?' look written all over her face. Her expression changed then, and she walked crisply towards the door.

"Where ya going Angel?" Max asked.

"I need to wake Colonel Bed-Head." Angel called over her shoulder. "I'll be right back."

_And that's another chapter done. I may or may not get yet another chapter in before Christmas, but don't hold your breath._

_Answers to Readers:_

_Kumatheawesome: ? ? What?_

_And now for The Layman's closing remarks._

_Well, Angel seems to be preparing everyone for something big. Your guess is as good as mine as to what it will be in the end. _

_Anyways, leave a good word for Hideout Writer and myself in the form of a review, would ya? Short of coming to visit us and giving us a pat on the back, it's the best Christmas present y'all could give!_


	16. Chapter 15

_The muse is impatiently singing an aria. I can't keep up._

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Angel returned to the room about four minutes after leaving, bearing a large vial of something. A bracket was grown on the wall, and she put the vial in the bracket before drawing a small amount with an injector.

"What is that stuff?" Max asked, concerned.

"Adrenaline," Angel replied dismissively, "It works similar to a cup of coffee, but far faster and doesn't need creamer." So saying, she carefully injected Sheppard with a portion of adrenaline, causing his to wake up rather quickly.

After he calmed down somewhat, remembering everything that had happened, Angel injected McKay, who said something about firewalls and Wraith programming before rolling over and going back to sleep.

"He's a heavy sleeper," Sheppard shrugged, grinning.

"I can see that..." Angel said, injecting the other two. They woke, combat ready before settling down at a word from Sheppard. "What can you tell me about the Replicator labs on Atlantis?"

Sheppard raised an eyebrow. "What?" She was about to repeat herself, but Sheppard stopped her, "I know what you said, why do you want to know?"

"Because I need a batch of Replicators," Angel stated simply, "It is likely that they will be able to be adapted to my needs far easier than other pieces of equipment."

"And why do you need them?" Sheppard asked.

"You have a thing for details, don't you John?" Angel asked.

"I like details," Sheppard defended. Behind him, Max smirked, barely holding in her chuckles of laughter.

"I need to be able to communicate with Atlantis without having her commandeer someone's body to speak with me. If we were to do that, it's likely that Atlantis would slowly destroy the souls of whoever she commandeers to speak with me. Do you understand now?" Angel asked with clearly exaggerated patience.

"Yes, I do," Sheppard said smugly, "Thank you."

Angel just rolled her eyes before going back to the large vial and refilling the injector with adrenaline. Once again, she stuck it in McKay, and this time, she pushed the full load of the injector into his bloodstream, causing him to fly off the bed.

"Hiiiiiii-ya!" he cried, landing on another bed and bouncing back up.

"Who knew he was a ninja?" Angel mused.

"With stealth like that he's not," Max said, chuckling.

"Total amateur," Fang agreed.

"Very funny," McKay sneered.

"Calm down, McKay." Angel said. "We're all friends here."

"And friends don't let friends rag on friends!" McKay retorted.

"I have no adequate response to that..." Iggy said sagely.

"I need your help with some work involving the Replicators," Angel said seriously. That brought everybody out of the joking mood.

"What, are they loose in this galaxy?" he asked. "I thought they were all shut down."

"You misunderstand," Angel said, "I need some for myself."

"You want to rig up communications between yourself and Atlantis, using Nanites as the go-between!" McKay said, snapping his fingers. "And there are labs on Atlantis for Nanites!"

"You got it!" Angel replied.

"So what was the injection made of?" McKay asked, apprehension creeping into his voice, "Because if it was citrus, then you should know that I'm deathly alergic."

"The injection was straight adrenaline, it counteracts the sedative agent I used to make you fall asleep before administering the gene therapy. Also, you're not allergic to citrus!" Angel announced proudly.

"Wait, I'm not? Since when?" McKay asked. "You fixed it?"

"Yes McKay, I fixed it. Now can we get back to more important things?" Angel asked impatiently.

"Sure!" McKay said.

"Due to the range of my telepathic abilities, I performed a close pass by the star, so as to collect more energy." Angel said, as the group filed out of the chamber. "I've been working on my aircraft contingent for some time now. I think you'll like them. I've also been working on a lab for McKay, a lab away from lab so to speak."

"Isn't it 'home away from home'?" Sheppard asked, slightly confused.

"Yes, but McKay spends so much time in his lab that it's become his home, so I just switched home for lab," Angel explained. They entered a rather large room, almost as large as the hangar the Jumpers were in.

"Welcome to the bridge!" she said, sweeping her arm out in a grand motion.

"That looks…that looks like a…That's a drone control chair!" Sheppard said.

"And we have a winner.." McKay said sarcastically.

There were some differences in the chair; namely, it was grown as a part of the ship, green, and had two trapezoidal holes in it where the wings would be if the user was a human-avian hybrid. Forward of the chair there were two consoles, five feet apart from each other, while aft of the chair were another five consoles, four blended, facing towards the wall, and the fifth facing towards the chair.

There were three doors on the opposite wall, and two doors on the side the group was standing on. The floor seemed to be split in two sections. The outer ring was canted rather strongly front-to-back, while the center section, where the chair and the two forward consoles were, was flat. The lighting was a heavy blue, and somewhat dim.

The group got to the center of the room, where McKay proceeded to slowly look around the entire room.

"Let me guess," he said, "you took the idea from yesterday's Enterprise?"

Angel just raised an eyebrow with a slight grin, "Maybe..."

Max cautiously sat down in the drone chair, and relaxed slightly, it was far more comfortable than it appeared.

"Why isn't it reclining?" Sheppard asked.

"Because we aren't in a combat situation, so for now it's just the captain's chair," Angel replied.

Gazzy and Iggy sat down in front of the forward consoles, which illuminated and began scrolling text.

Nudge moved to the console behind the chair, and tapped it, whereupon it lit up, also scrolling text.

"Come on," Angel said, walking around the back of the room, "I want to show you what's been done in the hangar."

Those who weren't manning a console followed Angel as the doors opened. It lead to a circular room, filled with a pulsing blue-green light. As soon as they were all inside, Angel touched a node by the door and the pod dropped quickly before slowing to a stop and then sliding sideways. When it stopped again, the doors opened to a hallway.

Angel led the group down the hall another fifty feet before opening another door. "Welcome to the hangar!~" she said happily. Ledges had been grown out of he aft bulkhead, and two of the ledges were occupied by Jumpers. Resting on the deck a new spacecraft, bearing a strange resemblance to the fighter planes of Earth, gleaming in the lights.

"Wow..." Sheppard managed at last.

"Now you've got a fighter instead of a minivan," Angel joked. "It carries four plasma cannons, can dial and fly through Stargates, seats three, and has a culling beam with enough storage for three hundred Wraith. If you manage to pick some up, I have a good use for them."

"Like what?" McKay asked, curious.

"Not telling," Angel replied firmly. "Don't bother trying to wear me down, it won't work."

"Damn..." McKay sulked.

"We'll look at crew quarters later, but they mainly consist of a small compartments suitable for fragile things, a space for clothes to be hung, and a bed," Angel said. "Right now, we need to return to Atlantis."

"Yeah, I forgot to call in when I woke up. I imagine Dr. Wier is starting to get anxious," Sheppard said facetiously.

"Nah, I told her what was going on; she's cool about it," Angel said casually. "But we really do need to return. There's some discussion that needs to be done."

"Okay…" Sheppard said at last, "that's not creepy at all."

A small platform was waiting at the ground level to transport the group up to the second level. It lumbered up to the second level with Sheppard's team and Iggy aboard.

After a few moments, the Jumpers powered up and dropped down to the lower level where Max and her family boarded Iggy's Jumper, and then the doors opened to an airlock. There the Jumpers paused while the inner doors cycled closed and the outer hull doors opened.

The Jumpers landed in the Atlantis hangar without incident, though Iggy realized he could actually see shortly after his hand left the yoke.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

The group settled into chairs in the conference room, and Dr. Wier joined them moments later.

"It is my understanding that you have all been genetically altered slightly?" Dr. Wier asked.

"That is correct," Teyla said. "Angel explained the process to us, and we agreed, of our free will, to have the procedure done."

"Have you seen any changes?" Dr. Wier asked.

"Aside from the fact that I feel like I'm on top of the world, not really," Sheppard said, leaning back. He scratched at his neck for a moment. "Add a slight itch," he muttered.

"May I see it?" Dr. Wier asked, interested.

"It's just an itch," Sheppard protested.

"More likely it's your tattoo," Dr. Wier said, leaning forward.

"It's just an itch!" Sheppard said firmly.

"I am experiencing a similar sensation on my neck as well." Teyla said, leaning forward.

"Me too," Ronon replied.

"And I'm guessing that you are also feeling an itch, McKay?" Wier asked.

"Yes…" McKay said, mystified. "I'm surprised I didn't noticed it earlier."

The Flock were whispering among each other. "We all seem to be feeling it, but it's just a minor annoyance."

"Yeah, that's your tattoo, more than likely," Dr. Wier said. "Angel told me about it. I just wanted to see it now so I wouldn't be asking what seemed to be a stupid question later."

Sheppard just shook his head in annoyance, and it was Ronon who turned so that Wier could see. It was a feather, with nasty-looking barbs on it, and a drop of blood just hanging onto the calamus.

Dr. Wier turned an incredulous eye towards where the illusion of Angel was sitting. Angel just casually shrugged.

"Ok..." Dr. Wier said. "So what do you know so far?"

"I know that the Wraith empire is fractured, much the Goa'uld were in the Milky Way. They've got too many people vying for food, and there has been cannibalism amongst the various factions," Angel announced. "I also know that I am stronger than any other hive. I can stay in hyperspace for about an hour longer than any other hive in the galaxy, and I am capable of mentally overwhelming their troops, or at least blocking their queens. I know that you see the Angel that was here before, Dr. Wier, but I feel the need deep within my core to end them, and I don't particularly care how I go about doing so. You can either help me or reject me, but the war against the Wraith just got far uglier for them. Also, I need help with your Replicator labs."

"What sort of help?" Dr. Wier asked briskly.

"I need about five pounds of Replicator Nanites," Angel replied smoothly. "I cannot communicate well with Atlantis, and I need to have that back. The link will be a little more mechanical in nature, but will serve the same purpose."

"I see..." Dr. Wier replied.

"I'll see to it that McKay gets the coding needed for the object," Angel said. "I just need a communication device that Atlantis will be able to recognize."

There was a long pause as everyone seemed to be wrapped up in their own thoughts. At last, Angel spoke again. "I am sending you all the data I have on Wraith technology, physiology, tactics, weapons…everything. You should be able to use the information to create an even bigger advantage."

"It's starting to sound like this won't be a war anymore Angel, just a one-sided pummeling," Dr. Wier said with a slight smile.

Angel looked coldly at Dr. Wier. "The Wraith are a blight that must be exterminated. I don't care if it does end up one-sided, so long as we win. They know there's a 'promised land' of sorts, and they are looking for it. They want Earth, and that's not something I'll allow. Have I made myself clear?"

Dr. Wier blinked, surprised. "Yes," she said, "I didn't know you felt that strongly about it."

Angel softened somewhat. "Look at it this way," she said, "I'm one part human-avian hybrid, whose mission has been to assist in the saving of the world, which has been done multiple times on the internal front, rather than the galactic front. I am one part Lantean city-ship, whose mission has been to prevent the Wraith from accessing Earth, and I am one part Wraith Hive ship. The first part shows in how I present myself to you, the other two parts account for the changes in my character, and the last part shows in my current physical form. There is little left in me that is human Dr. Wier, meaning that I have little to no use for politics. I will put up

with it, when it's the only way, but I would rather not play with politics at all if possible. I have a mission, and I will fulfill it by any means necessary."

Dr. Wier shuddered. "Remind me to never get on your bad side..." she muttered.

"On a different topic entirely, will someone open the garage door? I'm bringing down the craft I showed Sheppard earlier."

Sheppard exited the room quickly, returning several moments later. "Okay, the door's open."

"So what does it look like?" Dr Wier queried.

"A strange cross between an F-22 and a TIE fighter." McKay said. "With Wraith design elements thrown in for good measure."

"Sounds interesting," Dr. Wier said. "How many does it seat?"

"Front seat, back seat, and passenger," Angel replied, "with storage space for three hundred. It can outdo a standard Dart in maneuvering, speed, firepower, and survivability, while an F-302 would be hard pressed to keep up. Jumpers are largely inferior except in the overall internal size class. A Jumper can hold quite a bit of gear, while my craft would have to lock onto an organic target such as a human or a Wraith in order to pick up gear such as scientific instruments or weapons. Additionally, it could severely screw up scientific equipment."

"Do you have a name for it?" Dr. Wier asked.

"Blood Eagle," Angel said. "But if you'd prefer a military designation…F/I-1220."

"F.I.?" John asked.

"Fighter-Interceptor." Angel replied.

"Oh…right."

The meeting broke up, with everyone going their separate ways, though Angel merely dissipated, returning her attention to herself.

She now had her bridge crew, and provided nothing serious were to happen, that would have been more than enough. However, she was a full-grown Hive, and there was no way in hell she was going to be relegated to cargo work around backwater planets to avoid detection. No, she had made her mission clear, and she just had to finish polishing her plans before destroying the Wraith.

There was one disadvantage that she had to iron out, which was the fact that she could not tap into her crew for healing the way a standard Hive could. She hoped that it would never come to that, but began storing energy everywhere she could as a backup plan in case she couldn't come up with anything else.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

_That's done, now for Answers to Readers:_

_GallifreyanGhostGirl: Glad to have you back on the reviewer list! As far as the 'bedhead' comment goes, The Layman used it before, and I thought it was cool so I used it._

_Forsaken By All: I apologize to all those reading this, apparently, I have killed awesomeness, which means that nothing will ever be awesome again, with possible exception to Chuck Norris, who is capable of preserving a small pocket of awesomeness around himself._

_And now for The Layman's snide comment of the day!_

_I'm actually surprised you haven't been using more of the things I put in the original six chapters, but I'm glad someone still gets a kick out of it._


	17. Chapter 16

_I just realized it's been six months, give or take a week since I last updated, and I'm terribly sorry about that. I have been busy with other projects in the intervening time, and this story, not technically being my own, slipped my mind. Once again, I'm terribly sorry about the long, long wait, so here's a chapter for you, and I hope you forgive me enough to leave a review!_

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Three days had passed since Angel had adapted the Flock's genetic structure to be able to use Wraith equipment. Everything seemed to be on pause, like everyone was just waiting for a catalyst. That catalyst showed when a Wraith Hive, no doubt intrigued by the presence of a Hive in a system long thought worthless for food.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Angel was calmly waiting near the system star, where she had been absorbing energy for use later when the Hive dropped out of hyperspace.

Angel did not intend to allow it time to regenerate the damaged outer hull, and moved at full sub-light towards it.

Max and the Flock arrived in a Jumper, and quickly manned the bridge positions.

As soon as the other Hive was in range, the Chair that Max was sitting lit up and reclined.

"_Drones ready."_A voice whispered in her ear. With a thought, Max unleashed a barrage of drones, which in the process of Angel's conversion into a Hive, had turned emerald green. The energy squids quickly dealt massive damage to the Hive, taking out hyperdrive and sublight almost immediately.

Nudge hailed Atlantis from her position at Tactical, after seeing the enemy Hive launching Darts.

"Atlantis, this is Bloodangel. The enemy have unleashed their Darts, we need anti-fighter assistance, now!"

"Understood, Bloodangel." Dr. Wier replied. "We're sending help now."

Sheppard took the Blood Eagle out for it's maiden voyage, Ronon in the backseat interpreting tactical data for Sheppard, while Jumpers flew past them on all sides.

"Alright Chewie." Sheppard said as they cleared the atmosphere. "I'm putting my go foot down and my stop foot up. It's time to see what this thing can do!"

As that moment, Max launched another wave of drones.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

"The enemy Hive has Lantean drones, my queen!" a commander growled on the bridge. "Evasive maneuvers are no good, returning fire!"

"How could one of our own have Lantean weapons?" the queen demanded. A thought dawned on her then. "Keer! I told them not to try such an experiment, but they did so regardless of the danger. Inform the others of the alliance, we cannot afford for the entire Alliance to run afoul of this vessel."

A signal was sent forthwith, and within five minutes the Hive was destroyed.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Max's command/drone chair returned to the upright and locked position as she issued a new heading.

"Settle us into low orbit Gazzy, we need to stay near Atlantis for now." she said.

"I disagree." Angel said, appearing to walk in. The ship itself had taken moderate damage, and she reflected that in her illusion's appearance. "High orbit of the star. I want to recharge my energy banks. I've tapped out most of my reserve energy, and need to heal."

She sounded and looked weak to the rest of the Flock, and through the genetic link that they shared, there was a sense of overall tiredness.

Gazzy nodded, punching in the required commands.

The Hive slid through space, silent as a whisper, though vapor was seen pouring out of various wounds in the inner and outer hulls.

"How long until we're combat ready again?" Max asked.

"Two days, if we take it one Hive at a time, but if we are looking to go after more than two Hives a week, then it will be about two weeks before I'm ready to go after it again."

Max nodded in understanding. "Nudge, damage report?"

"We've got ruptures on decks four through six, one of our hyperspace engines are out, limited sublight. Structural integrity is down fifteen percent, and energy reserves are at sixteen percent. On the bright side, we've only lost two plasma cannons on the starboard side, and emergency bulkheads in voided sections are holding."

"Anything else?" Max asked tiredly.

"Yes, Atlantis is hailing." Nudge replied.

"Open a channel."

"This is Dr. Wier. I assume you've survived your encounter and need time to repair?"

"That's right." Max said tiredly. "We took most of the damage on the starboard side. Angel said she needs to take energy from the star, so we're going to be in orbit there for a while. Also, the Blood Eagle needs to be returned to the hangar bay, or it will start to slowly degrade after a while."

"Understood." there was a tone as the radio communication link was cut.

"The Blood Eagle has been returned to the bay and is docked." Iggy reported. He pressed a character on his console, and a tone sounded. "Atmosphere has been restored to safe levels, though it's still a bit thin."

"Understood." Sheppard's disembodied voice squeaked through the console.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

McKay felt rather tired, which he chalked up to the fight between Angel and the enemy Hive, but he was still working on the project with the Nanites.

"You should sleep, McKay." Angel said. She pointed out multiple errors that riddled his work, and McKay nodded tiredly.

He rubbed his face blearily and waved her off. "g'night." he said, and slumped forward over the desk. Within seconds he was snoring.

Angel shook her head at McKay's actions, and returned her focus to healing herself. It was really quite the spectacle for Sheppard and Teyla, who were sitting in the Jumper, as they watched a hole being sealed.

A tendril would unfurl on one side and drift over to the other side of the hole, where it would lock in place. The process would then repeat itself until the hole was completely sealed.

After a while, Sheppard returned the Jumper to the bay, and walked to his quarters on board the organic vessel. He refused to view the ship as Angel, as that would make it too weird, even for him.

He swiped his hand over the sensing blister set in his doorframe, and the door rumbled open, sounding almost like stone being moved in it's track.

With a tired sigh, Sheppard flopped down on the membrane that served as his bed. A second membrane swiftly covered his body, and he fell asleep within three seconds.

When he awoke, Angel had a strong calming field engaged over Sheppard's room, so that he wouldn't panic upon awakening. His eyes opened, and he calmly pushed the blanket membrane aside before rolling out of bed and putting his shoes on.

He swiped his hand over the door control blister, and was promptly greeted by Angel right outside his door.

"Angel, hi." he said, blinking away the remnants of sleep in his eyes. "What's up?"

"I've completed hull repairs and returned to stationary orbit over Atlantis." Angel replied. "Dr. Wier wants to see you, and McKay is ready to come aboard with the Nanites, so I'm sending you down with the Blood Eagle."

"Okay…" Sheppard said. "I've only just woken up. Why are you telling me all this?"

"You aren't going down until you've had breakfast." Angel said.

They had been walking down one of the main corridors, when one of the doors opened to reveal a cafeteria of sorts, and Angel just shy of shoved Sheppard inside.

The room was lit with green lights hidden in the ceiling, creating a dim, peaceful environment. One wall was completely given over to a window, which gave a clear view over the planet. Sheppard touched the window, and found it to be a membrane that felt similar to the one that served as his bed. Looking down, he was able to see Atlantis resting on the sparkling waters of the planet.

"You need to eat." Angel insisted.

Sheppard jumped, slightly startled, and sat down at the nearest table. Breakfast and coffee appeared on the table, and Sheppard began eating at asedate pace, determined to enjoy his breakfast.

The Flock filed into the cafeteria, followed by Ronon Dex, who almost seemed to be…happy? Sheppard wondered what was going on in the Setedan's head, but decided not to ask. It was probably safer that way.

Ronon joined Sheppard as the Flock sat down around another table and began eating.

John noted with some amusement that Ronon wasn't bothering with utensils, though they were available for use.

"Angel said that we're probably going to be able to ruin the Wraith within a year if she is able to properly prepare." Ronon said between mouthfuls.

"Oh, well that's good." Sheppard said, taking a sip of coffee. "What all did she say she needed?"

"She's headed back to the star after McKay gets back, and she said something about a thicker hide I think." Ronon mumbled.

"Oh." Sheppard thought about that for several moments, then arrived at an interesting idea. "What if…" he turned towards Angel. "Angel, what if you were able to absorb the plasma shots the other Hives were firing, and use that energy in your own systems?"

"Little to no damage, assuming it could be done." Angel answered. "John, that's brilliant!"

John grinned, then finished his coffee. "Alright, time to see what Wier wants me for." He belched appreciatively and walked out of the cafeteria, heading for the hangar. Before the conversion process had been enacted, he might have gotten lost in the halls of an alien vessel of this magnitude, but he seemed to almost instinctually _know_where the hangar bay was and how to get there.

As he sat down in the pilot's seat, the 1220 seemed to almost be an old friend to Sheppard's mind, and for a moment, Sheppard had the image of an old sage stuck in his mind before he dispelled it with a shake of his head. Ronon climbed aboard, and the canopy closed around them before Sheppard gently encouraged the small vessel to leave the deck.

He flew to the airlock doors, which were already opened, and waited for the doors to cycle before heading down towards the city.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

In the Jumper bay at the top of the city, McKay was waiting with a cube. It was a shiny silver color, but in reality, it was five pounds of Replicators clinging to each other in the form of a cube. His tablet computer was set up for control of the Nanites, and down in the heart of the city, there was a special subspace beacon that was built specifically to respond to the Nanites currently held in McKay's hand.

"This is Colonel Sheppard, I'm on my way down, but this ship doesn't do Lantean doors. Someone care to do the honors?"

McKay opened the doors, and the 1220 descended into the bay, unfolding spidery landing legs as it did so. The craft settled gently on the ground, and a wide plate descended from the belly of the craft to make contact with the charging pad built into the Jumper bay.

The canopy vanished with a squelching noise, and Sheppard hopped out. "All yours." he said, gesturing towards the craft. "I'll close up behind you."

"Thanks." McKay said, hefting the block. "I've got the Nanites right here." He climbed into the seat as Ronon was getting out of the rear, and the canopy reformed again.

The recharge plate drew away from the floor, though it almost seemed to hesitate slightly before retracting completely. It jumped up slightly, the legs folding in before the small ship simply rocked backwards and accelerated out of the Jumper bay, headed back for the relative warmth and safety of Bloodangel's massive hangar bay.

Sheppard closed the doors before going down to see what Dr. Wier wanted.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

On board the ship, McKay was in his organic lab, where Angel met up with him.

"I've set aside a subspace communications rig specifically for this application." Angel said. "Come, let me show you."

McKay took the cube and his tablet with him before exiting the room, and allowed Angel to lead him to a room on the middle deck.

A long pipe lay suspended in the room, and as McKay looked towards one end of the pipe, he estimated that it probably went the whole length of the ship. It was segmented every several feet, with bare conductors sticking out, and McKay figured that the Nanites were supposed to fill those holes.

After about ten minutes, the entire block had been placed on the antenna pole, and had mostly finished the process of filling in the gapped sections.

"Alright, they're all in." Angel said, her voice betraying the excitement she felt. "Turn it on."

Each nanite section had been coded to glow with a pulsing green light to indicate that it was functioning. They would turn red if they malfunctioned or there would be no section there at all. McKay hoped it would never come to that as he entered the appropriate commands.

The nanite segments on the very end of the antenna lit up, followed by their neighbors two seconds later. When the third section lit, the first one to come online dimmed for two seconds before brightening again, setting the tone for the pulse cycle.

When the entire thing was lit up and functioning, it appeared as though glowing lights were traveling down the antenna at measured intervals, almost like some sort of pulse drive engine core.

"Well, that's that." McKay said, standing up.

Angel looked incredibly happy and at peace as she led McKay back to his lab. To McKay's amusement, she was even skipping now and again as she walked. When they arrived at his lab, she said "Sheppard had an idea that I thought was good, but I don't know if it can be done."

"What is it?" McKay asked. Despite the way Sheppard typically acted, he knew that Sheppard was far smarter than he typically let on.

"He was wondering if there was a way for me to grow a skin capable of absorbing incoming plasma fire." Angel said. "Even if I'm just dissipating it, that would go a long way towards increasing our odds of success against the Wraith."

"You're serious about this 'Wraith wiped out in a year or less' thing, aren't you?" McKay asked in wonder.

Angel smirked. "I am Bloodangel, your Hive Ship. Thou shalt have no other Hive ships in the same galaxy as myself." she intoned mock gravely.

McKay chuckled at that. "I'll see what I can do." he said at last. "No guarantees though."

"I understand." Angel replied. "I need to go tell Dr. Wier that we're moving back to the star again. I'm trying to store up as much energy as I can."

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

_Answers to Readers is offline this week because nobody left any reviews on the previous chapter. I think that's all that's left to do, so, for your reading pleasure, I present to you The Layman for my chewing out on account of being so INCREDIBLY late with this._

***We now return to your chewing out, already in progress* -and *^% (#&*^% $# *^ your mother twenty-five times, or else-! Oh, sorry about that... **

**Anyways, I myself also apologize for the lack of updates the last few months. (I probably should have reminded HW once or twice myself...) However, in addition to the new chapter, I have a another piece of good new for y'all; I'm going to be writing an alternate time line for Angels on Atlantis! Yay! Before you get your expectations up, what I'm going to do is start from where I left off on chapter 7 (really 6) and work from there. It's not going to be connected to HW's time line, there won't be any Bloodangel and Ajax idn't gonna drop by. However, if you enjoy reading things from Max's POV, you might want to check this one out, since that's how I started writing this thing in the first place. Also, if you or someone you know wouldn't mind Beta reading that one I'd be ever so grateful. **

**Well, that's about it. If you think Hideout Writer isn't working fast enough...don't whine about it. Either send him or me a calm, civil PM and one of us will do something about it. **

**And the final volume of the Max Ride series is coming out this year. Just sayin'.**


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